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ARCHIVED - RPP 2006-2007
Canada Border Services Agency


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SECTION I – OVERVIEW

Minister’s Message

The Honourable Stockwell Day, P.C., M.P.

I am pleased to provide Parliament with my first Report on Plans and Priorities as Minister of Public Safety.

The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) is part of the Public Safety portfolio, which includes the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, the Correctional Service of Canada and the National Parole Board. Working collectively in an integrated fashion, the Department and portfolio agencies are dedicated to protecting Canadian families and their communities, to securing our borders and to increasing our preparedness to address public health threats.

To help meet these safety and security needs, the recent Budget 2006 provides $1.4 billion over two years to protect Canadian families and communities. Funding is being provided to the portfolio for such initiatives as increasing the number of police officers on the street; preventing youth crime with a focus on guns, gangs and drugs; arming border officers and eliminating work-alone situations; and enhancing our capacity to deal with catastrophes and other emergencies.

Our government is committed to ensuring that the CBSA and its employees have the resources, the training and the tools they need to meet the Agency’s dual mandate of securing the border and facilitating the flow of lawful trade and travel. We will accomplish this by moving forward on the next generation of innovative border management solutions supported by the latest science and technology.

Key to our success will be developing strong partnerships. Our collaborative work with our North American neighbours — the United States and Mexico — in the context of the Security and Prosperity Partnership will ensure that our borders are safe, reliable and secure. In addition, our work with stakeholders in many sectors to facilitate trade and promote transparency will contribute to a more prosperous and competitive Canada.

I would like to thank the men and women of the CBSA for their professionalism, enthusiasm and commitment to excellence.

The Honourable Stockwell Day, P.C., M.P.
Minister of Public Safety

President’s Message

Alain Jolicoeur - President - Canada Border Services Agency

I want to begin by underlining the hard work and dedication of our employees. They are at work at ports of entry, in our communities and overseas protecting Canadians and contributing to our quality of life. I see their successes each day — from seizures of contraband and illicit firearms and the detention and removal of people who are a threat to Canada to the evacuation of fellow Canadians from Lebanon, even at the risk of their own safety. It is with great pride that I look upon their achievements. My challenge is to provide them with the support, resources and tools needed to continue to do their job well.

The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) plays a central role in ensuring safe communities and protecting our national and economic security. Since 2003, we have built a new organization and transformed how Canada’s borders are managed and the tools with which we do this work.

Much of what has changed would not be immediately visible to the traveller arriving at the border. Working with our domestic and international partners, this Agency has fundamentally changed how we manage risk. We are transforming into a flexible, connected, intelligence-based organization.

We are leveraging advance information, we are enhancing our analytical capacity, we are developing and deploying new technologies, and we are establishing new partnerships both at home and around the world. All of this effort helps our officers to identify and target their efforts at high-risk people and goods while facilitating the flow of legitimate trade and travel.

By building on this progress, there is much more the Agency can do to contribute to Canada’s security and economic prosperity.

The border serves as both the symbolic and physical manifestation of Canadian sovereignty. It will also remain a critical line of defence to interdict threats to our communities and to our national security. In an increasingly global economy, the border is also seen as a potential liability to Canada’s productivity and competitiveness if not managed well.

Our geography, our level of economic integration and the nature of the threats presented mean how we achieve our security and facilitate commerce may be quite different at the border and ports of entry to the United States than at the North American perimeter. Canada and the United States have a common interest to protect and facilitate the movement of people and commerce to and within North America. Our shared commitment is reflected in the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America (SPP). Much of what the Agency does in the near to medium term will be shaped by the SPP.

Budget 2006 provided significant new funding to address the priority SPP initiatives and to enhance the CBSA’s law enforcement posture. This new funding will help the Agency to eliminate work-alone situations, which we expect to complete over the next three years. Importantly, we are also beginning the process of arming our officers, with the first fully trained officers expected to be deployed by the fall of 2007. I cannot overstate the significance of the change this will bring to the face of the Agency. I am committed to implementing the arming of our officers in a way that protects both their safety and that of Canadians.

This Agency has achieved much in its first three years, and we will continue to evolve. We will continue to transform how Canada’s borders are managed. Our vision is a smart border and a smart organization.

Alain Jolicoeur
President
Canada Border Services Agency

Management Representation Statement

I submit, for tabling in Parliament, the 2006-2007 Report on Plans and Priorities (RPP) for the Canada Border Services Agency.

This document has been prepared based on the reporting principles contained in Guide for the Preparation of Part III of the 2006-2007 Estimates: Reports on Plans and Priorities and Departmental Performance Reports.

  • It adheres to the specific reporting requirements outlined in the Treasury Board Secretariat guidelines;
  • It is based on the Agency’s approved Program Activity Architecture structure as reflected in its Management Resources and Results Structure;
  • It presents consistent, comprehensive, balanced and accurate information;
  • It provides a basis of accountability for the results achieved with the resources and authorities entrusted to it; and
  • It reports finances based on approved planned spending numbers from the Treasury Board Secretariat in the RPP.

Alain Jolicoeur
President

Summary Information

CBSA Vision: A smart border, a smart organization.

CBSA Mandate: The Agency is responsible for providing integrated border services that support national security and public safety priorities and facilitate the free flow of persons and goods, including animals and plants, that meet all requirements under the program legislation.

CBSA Mission: To ensure the security and prosperity of Canada by managing the access of people and goods to and from Canada.

We will be successful if we achieve our:
CBSA Strategic Priorities 2006-2007 to 2008-2009

  • Effective delivery of programs and services
  • Innovating for the border of the future
  • Strong internal and external relationships
  • A modern management regime

We will gauge our success through the achievement of our:
Strategic Outcome
Efficient and effective border management that contributes to the security and prosperity of Canada

We will manage our business through our:
Integrated Border Services
Security, Access
Science- and Technology-based Innovation

Corporate Management and Direction

We will be guided by our:
Core Values — Integrity, Respect and Professionalism

Priorities 1 and 4 are considered to be “ongoing” as they were explicitly identified in previous CBSA planning documents tabled in Parliament. Although Priorities 2 and 3 are considered “new,” they consolidate existing priorities and support the CBSA’s future strategic direction.

Financial resources (thousands of dollars):

2006-2007

2007-2008

2008-2009

1,467,030

1,461,035

1,513,351


Human resources (Full Time Equivalents (FTE)):

2006-2007

2007-2008

2008-2009

12,763

12,900

13,312

Overview — who we are

Since December 2003, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) has been an integral part of the Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness portfolio, which was created to protect Canadians and maintain a peaceful and safe society. The CBSA brought together related functions and staff that were formerly part of the Canada Customs and Revenue Agency, Citizenship and Immigration Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.

The CBSA’s benefit to Canadians

The Canada Border Services Agency Act gives the CBSA the mandate to provide integrated border services that support national security and public safety priorities and facilitate the free flow of persons and goods, including animals and plants, that meet all requirements under the program legislation.

The Agency employs intelligence-gathering and information-sharing techniques with our domestic partners and international counterparts in order to protect Canadians from threats to public safety and health.

Even as the CBSA enhances border security, it is developing measures and programs to expedite legitimate transborder movement. The fluid movement of people and goods travelling into and out of Canada is essential to our national economic vitality.

The CBSA employs a program of responsible enforcement, and an effective sanctions regime that may be applied to persons and groups that contravene Canadian border laws. These deterrents promote compliance and provide a level playing field for all travellers and traders.

The CBSA is a cost-effective, transparent and accountable agency. We demonstrate fiscal prudence to Canadians by sound comptrollership, internal audits and program evaluations.

Our operating environment — what we do

The CBSA provides integrated border services that balance the needs to support national security and public safety priorities with the facilitation of cross-border movement of legitimate trade and travellers. In order to do so, we constantly identify, analyse and mitigate risk. Every day, our employees make thousands of real-time decisions that affect the security and prosperity of Canadians.

We have a workforce of approximately 13,000 employees, including over 7,200 uniformed officers, providing services at some 1,200 points across Canada and 39 international locations.

We manage 119 land border crossings and operate on a 24/7 basis at 61 land border crossings and nine international airports. Our officers perform marine operations at three major ports in Halifax, Montreal and Vancouver. We also process and examine international mail at three mail centres located in Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal.

We process an average of 266,000 travellers entering Canada each day.

In 2003-2004, we processed more than 92 million travellers. The number increased to 95 million in 2004-2005 and the upward trend continued in 2005-2006, when we processed 97.1 million travellers (highway, air, marine and rail.)

We collect an average of $9.1 million in import duties and $63.7 million in GST/HST each day. The value of cross-border trade with the U.S. alone averages $1.9 billion a day. An average of 18,200 trucks arrive from the U.S. every day, with 10,600 of them processed through southern Ontario border crossings. We also process an average of 77,900 courier shipments daily.

We administer more than 90 acts, regulations and international agreements, many on behalf of other federal departments and agencies, the provinces and the territories.

Among them are the:

  • Citizenship Act
  • Criminal Code
  • Customs Act
  • Customs Tariff
  • Excise Act
  • Excise Tax Act
  • Export and Import Permits Act
  • Food and Drugs Act
  • Health of Animals Act
  • Immigration and Refugee Protection Act
  • Plant Protection Act
  • Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Act
  • Special Import Measures Act

CBSA responsibilities:

  • We administer legislation that governs the admissibility of people and goods into and out of Canada.
  • We establish how people and goods move through our borders.
  • We detain those people who may pose a threat to Canada.
  • We remove people who are inadmissible to our country, including those involved in terrorism, organized crime and war crimes or crimes against humanity.
  • We interdict illegal goods entering or leaving the country.
  • We protect food safety and the environment by stopping prohibited or hazardous products arriving at our air, land and sea ports.
  • We promote Canadian business and economic benefits by administering trade legislation and trade agreements to meet Canada’s international obligations.
  • We enforce trade remedies that help protect Canadian industry from the injurious effects of dumped and subsidized imported goods.
  • We administer a fair and impartial redress mechanism.
  • We promote Canadian interests in various international forums and with international organizations.
  • We collect applicable duties and taxes on imported goods.

Our partners and stakeholders

In collaboration with our partners, we contribute to the health, security and economic prosperity of Canadians. In line with the nature of our work, the CBSA enjoys strategic partnerships with many government departments and agencies at home and abroad. Dependable and timely communications with partners and stakeholders are critical to minimizing risk and maximizing economic advantage for Canadians. Our key strategic partners include Transport Canada, Citizenship and Immigration Canada, the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, in addition to our Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness portfolio partners such as the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada and Correctional Service of Canada.

Consultation with our stakeholders is a vital component of our approach to border management. To this end, the Canada Border Services Advisory Committee (CBSAC) was created in the fall of 2005 to provide independent advice and to serve as a sounding board on major trends and developments that may affect the management of Canada’s border, as well as the priorities, business and operations of the CBSA. Committee members were recruited at the senior level from sectors and groups reflecting CBSA business lines and activities. The CBSAC comprises some 26 stakeholders representing the private sector, the immigration community, travellers, academia and the general public.

The CBSA is also committed to consulting Canadian commercial stakeholders on strategies, policies, operational programs and administrative procedures that govern and affect Canada’s commercial trade. These consultations promote mutually beneficial collaboration between the CBSA and the Canadian commercial trade community on border matters to the benefit of Canada, the Canadian economy and Canada’s trade sector.

In support of this commitment, the Border Commercial Consultative Committee (BCCC) was formed to provide CBSA officials and commercial stakeholders with a forum for dialogue on Canada’s border operations. The BCCC is composed of 27 of the CBSA’s major private sector stakeholder organizations, and is expected to meet at least twice a year.

Our key partners and stakeholders include:

Government

  • Department of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada and the other portfolio partners (e.g., Canadian Security Intelligence Service, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Canada Firearms Centre, Correctional Service of Canada, and National Parole Board)
  • Other federal departments and agencies (e.g., Citizenship and Immigration Canada; Canada Revenue Agency; Canadian Food Inspection Agency; Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada; Passport Office; Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade; Health Canada; Public Health Agency of Canada; Justice Canada; Canadian International Development Agency; Department of Finance; Privy Council Office; Treasury Board Secretariat; Canadian International Trade Tribunal; Transport Canada; regional development agencies; etc.)
  • Provinces and territories and municipalities (including police forces)
  • U.S. government agencies, including the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
  • The governments of Australia, Brazil, China, the European Union, India, Japan, Mexico, South Africa and the United Kingdom.

Stakeholders and advisors

  • Canada Border Services Advisory Committee
  • Border Commercial Consultative Committee
  • Bridge, port and airport authorities
  • International organizations (e.g., World Customs Organization; World Trade Organization; Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation; Group of Eight; Four Country Conference; Intergovernmental Consultations on Asylum, Refugee and Migration Policies; United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees; International Air Transport Association; International Civil Aviation Organization; International Maritime Organization, etc.)
  • Industry, transportation, trade and tourism associations, chambers of commerce
  • Non-governmental organizations (e.g., Canadian Red Cross, Canadian Council of Refugees, Cross-Cultural Roundtable on Security, ethno-cultural groups, etc.)
  • Academic and research communities

Departmental plans and priorities

For 2006-2007 to 2008-2009, the CBSA developed a Three-year Strategic Plan which sets out four strategic priorities that support our strategic outcome, which, in turn, supports broader Government of Canada priorities. Our priorities reflect the federal government’s commitments to safe and secure communities, a fair and secure marketplace, and a strong and mutually beneficial North American partnership.

We employ approaches that allow us to focus on unknown or high risks to Canada, while expediting travel and trade for known and low-risk people and goods. Through the application of science, technology and innovative practices, the CBSA is able to strengthen its capacity to protect the security and prosperity of Canadians.

We also apply a multiple borders approach that “pushes the borders out” by screening, targeting and interdicting inadmissible people and goods as early as possible in their travel to Canada, beginning overseas; developing intelligence through the use of automated risk analysis; analytical tools and risk management; and administering alternative inspection programs to facilitate the movement of low-risk people and goods.

Strategic Priority 1: Effective delivery of programs and services

Since our creation, we have clearly recognized the importance of continuing to deliver programs and services to our clients, partners and stakeholders, and this will continue to be one of our strategic priorities for the next three years. In so doing, we will go forward in contributing to the Government of Canada’s commitment to provide a fair and reliable marketplace, while tackling crime to ensure safe and secure communities for all Canadians.

As announced in Budget 2006, this year, the CBSA will begin the process of providing front-line border services officers with side arms and the required training for their use. This will involve the development of operational and human resources policies, training requirements, the identification of tools and equipment, and options for training facilities. The CBSA is also committed to ensuring that our front-line officers are not required to work alone, and we will ensure adequate staffing levels and the provision of proper tools, training and support. First steps will include a review of current work-alone sites to determine operational impacts and human resource requirements. Budget 2006 announced $101 million over two years to begin the work of arming officers and eliminating work-alone situations.

The CBSA will continue to work towards ensuring quality, consistency and fairness in the delivery of our programs and services. For example, in 2006-2007, we will seek financially prudent approaches to improve our programs, processes and systems in the interest of protecting Canadians. We are continually improving our operational processes to maximize fiscal responsibility and our contribution to national security. The CBSA will continue to strengthen its intelligence and enforcement capacity and enhance its resources, tools and technology to reduce the threats inherent to terrorism, smuggling, organized crime and communicable disease.

In terms of emergency preparedness planning, the CBSA is working with its partners in the U.S. to develop coordinated protocols at the border in the event of an unexpected disaster and/or increased alert levels. We will engage key stakeholders and conduct joint training and exercises with our American counterparts, with the goal of providing travellers and traders with a sense of predictability in how border agencies will react in an emergency situation. We will also coordinate with key partners and stakeholders to ensure the appropriate steps are taken to reduce the possibility of avian influenza or pandemic influenza from reaching Canada. This will include developing and implementing plans, training and readiness exercises to allow the CBSA to continue delivering its mandate of border protection in the face of such threats.

Results statement for this priority: The CBSA will increase its ability to identify and interdict high- and unknown-risk people and goods, while expediting the flow of low-risk travellers and trade.

Strategic Priority 2: Innovating for the border of the future

The operating environment of the CBSA is one of ever-shifting challenges and opportunities. To prepare for the road ahead, we will employ more evidence-based decision-making, modern technology and innovative approaches. We will improve our ability to provide strategic policy analysis and advice on domestic and international issues. We are seeking new and creative solutions to the challenges we face by employing approaches that increase our presence abroad and “push the borders out”.

To further advance our innovation agenda, the Government of Canada is committed to a strong and mutually beneficial partnership with the U.S. and Mexico through the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America. As a result of the new funding included in Budget 2006 announcements, the CBSA will receive $240 million over the next two years to help fund some of the highest profile innovative initiatives under the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America, such as:

  • E-Manifest builds upon the Advance Commercial Information (ACI) initiative, and will allow transporters, importers and agents to transmit to the CBSA real-time advance data about cargo shipments to identify high-risk shipments before their arrival by rail or at the land border.

  • Passenger Name Record (PNR) “Push” will allow more effective advance information gathering from airlines, about people destined for Canada. The “push” or direct transfer of data is new – currently, the CBSA “pulls” the PNR data from the air carriers’ systems, which is less than optimal from a privacy perspective. This initiative is about getting the right information at the right time. It is critical for the CBSA, because it improves the ability of the Agency to detect high-risk travellers before they reach Canadian borders.

  • NEXUS Air facilitates the passage of low-risk trusted travellers into Canada and the U.S. It was piloted at Vancouver International Airport from November 30, 2004, to April 2006, using iris biometric technology. The initial membership goal of 3,000 clients was exceeded within seven months of operations by 22 percent, which indicates the program’s success. The expansion seeks to roll out the bi-national pilot project to seven additional major airports across Canada.

  • Partners in Protection (PIP): Canada is committed to working with the U.S. and its counterpart program, Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT), to ensure that both countries’ requirements remain compatible, to support joint efforts for a more secure supply chain, and to provide the appropriate benefits to facilitate cross border trade. Harmonized program requirements will result in a more streamlined process for participants from private industry.

  • Business Resumption Protocols involves the CBSA and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection developing coordinated business resumption protocols at the border in the event of a terrorist act, natural disaster or increased border alert levels. It consists of an operational component and a supporting information technology security and continuity component.

In December 2004, the U.S. announced the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) that will require all persons entering the U.S. to carry passports or alternative secure documentation proving their citizenship and identity. The WHTI requirement will be applied to all air and marine travel after January 8, 2007, and will be expanded to all land border crossings after December 31, 2007.

The CBSA is coordinating the Canadian response to the WHTI. The intent is to harmonize an interdepartmental effort to finalize the Government of Canada policy with respect to document standards for entry into Canada and then work in collaboration with the U.S. on an integrated approach.

The Canadian response will focus mainly on processing people at land borders, which is the activity most affected by the initiative. We will outline a vision for the future direction of the land border, including various options for documentation and implementation. Over the next year, we will continue to advance Canadian concerns and study policy considerations as we work with the U.S.

Results statement for this priority: An increased use of evidence- and science-based solutions will contribute to improved security at our borders and greater economic prosperity.

Strategic Priority 3: Strong internal and external relationships

An approach that builds and leverages strong partnerships and alliances is critical to how the CBSA is working toward a secure border of the future. The CBSA oversees many international agreements and administers more than 90 acts and regulations, many on behalf of the provinces, territories and other federal departments and agencies.

The CBSA relies on partnerships to achieve its mandate and deliver programs and services. We will strengthen relationships with stakeholders, partners, clients, employees and their representatives. We will open dialogue and enhance communications internally and externally, with an emphasis on transparency and effective outreach strategies. We will also strive to build new relationships and more durable linkages with federal partners to bolster our already excellent rapport with the U.S., and support the Government of Canada commitment to a strong and mutually beneficial North American partnership.

Results statement for this priority: The CBSA will have stronger partnerships and agreements, internationally, with our stakeholders, our clients and employees.

Strategic Priority 4: A modern management regime

The CBSA is firmly committed to accountability and sound stewardship of resources, and putting strategies and frameworks in place to deliver on this priority. A modern management regime underpins our strategic priorities to deliver programs and services effectively, plan for the border of the future, and develop strong internal and external relationships.

The Government of Canada has placed a significant emphasis on the need for strong controls and accountability. We are developing strategies and frameworks to solidify our governance and accountability frameworks, and manage corporate systems, information and technology effectively. This includes implementing a management control framework as a means of linking various Treasury Board portfolio frameworks such as the Management Accountability Framework, Integrated Risk Management Framework, and Modern Comptrollership. Strong and comprehensive corporate planning, performance measurement, program evaluation and internal audit functions are cornerstones of a robust accountability regime.

Our skilled and knowledgeable workforce is our strength — we will continue to furnish our employees with the tools, training and support they need to pursue excellence on the job. We will implement human resources strategies to ensure that appropriate recruitment, development and training programs are in place to support the business of the CBSA and its employees and to foster a culture of learning and linguistic duality. We will also establish a robust regime of values and ethics to reinforce the Values and Ethics Code for the Public Service and our organizational values of integrity, respect and professionalism.

Results statement for this priority: The delivery of the CBSA's mandate will be supported by a strong governance and integrated planning structure, underpinned by a robust values and ethics regime.