INST Committee Report

Some of the greatest fears in the business community today rest on the worry that stricter border rules will slow economic movement to unprofitable levels. If Canada does not have a clear plan to strengthen border reliability for trade and transport, the United States will impose a "Made in America" system of border control. The Canadian way is to take initiatives, to make proposals, and persuade the superpower next door. The government must not sit on its hands and risk hurting the sovereignty and economic viability of Canada.

Public Protection and Border Management Initiative

Therefore, the PC-DR Coalition developed a specific plan, and while it’s open for discussion, it contains three detailed ideas that would protect the lives and property of Canadians, ensure the efficient and secure movement of goods and people into and out of Canada and protect the rights of Canadians. We submit it to the government for its response and implementation:

1. Creation of a new Ministry to be called the Ministry of Public Protection and Border Management, which will take responsibility for the following agencies:

Customs Agency

Immigration (Border Inspection Officers)

CSIS

RCMP

Coast Guard

A re-established Ports Police

Communication Security Establishment (Counter-Terrorist Section)

Office of Critical Infrastructure Protection and Emergency Preparedness

The Mandate of the Ministry will be:

To protect the lives and property of Canadian citizens;

Prevent the entry of inadmissible individuals and goods into Canada;

Ensure the free and efficient flow of legitimate travellers and goods into and out of Canada;

Enforce the laws of Canada; and

Co-operate with foreign agencies to detect and prevent terrorist activities and apprehend foreign and domestic terrorists.

2. Creation of a bi-national (or tri-national) border management agency.

• Staffed jointly by representatives of the Ministry of Public Protection and Border Management, their American (and Mexican) counterparts, the agency would monitor the entry of goods and people into and out of the North American continent and across the Canada-US (and US-Mexico) border(s).

• The agency would maintain a computer system that would monitor the arrival and departure of individuals and goods to and from the continent and across the Canada-US (and US-Mexico) border(s).

• Low-risk individuals who wish to participate in an automated pre-clearance program will be issued with an interactive identification card that can be utilized at any airport, seaport or land crossing on the continent, that would expedite their travel with minimal delay.

• Low-risk companies that wish to participate in an automated pre-clearance program will be permitted to utilize standardized Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) technology to ensure that these goods are expedited with minimal delay.

• Through the use of mutually agreed standards and the secondment of personnel to their sister agencies, ensure that the most intense scrutiny of goods occurs as they enter the continent and avoid duplication of effort when goods transit land border crossings.

• Where practicable, the agency would provide pre-clearance of airline passengers overseas.

• Working with the appropriate federal, provincial and state officials, the agency would ensure that there is appropriate infrastructure at airports, seaports and land crossings, to separate low-risk, pre-cleared individuals and goods, from those that are not.

 

3. Creation of new Parliamentary Oversight Committee

• To ensure that the rights of Canadians are protected, oversight of this new ministry and the new anti-terrorist measures contained in Bill C-36 would be provided by a new parliamentary committee.

• All members of this committee would either be sworn into the Privy Council or take an additional oath of secrecy, that would give them access to classified material.

• Members of this committee would not be allowed to discuss classified material outside the committee, even with their caucus colleagues.

• During in camera meetings, Ministers and representatives of Ministerial agencies would be required to answer almost all questions from committee members.

• Exceptions would include source identification and third party information.

• Committee would also have power to review agency budgets in detail.

• Committee would provide non-classified reports to the House.