2022 to 2023 Departmental Results Report: Canada Border Services Agency

The CBSA combatted the cross-border movement of illicit drugs and precursor chemicals, with a particular focus on synthetic opioids such as fentanyl, through enhanced controls in the postal stream and safety measures in examination areas and regional screening facilities. The Agency equipped officers with risk assessment, detection and enforcement tools to strengthen their capacity to intercept illegal substances at ports of entry and take appropriate enforcement action. Additionally, the Agency collaborated with partnering organizations such as the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and the Canada Post Corporation by sharing intelligence and information to identify illicit shipments, while engaging with international partners to prevent illicit shipments from reaching Canada.

The CBSA took action against gun and gang violence by enhancing its detection capabilities, including the expanded use of x-ray technology for risk assessment of mail items in the postal stream, and the use of detector dog teams at ports of entry. The Agency’s Canine Centre of Expertise, which opened in 2022 to 2023, provides specialized support for the training of detector dogs. The Agency also continued the deployment of handheld x-ray devices and specialized examination vehicles at select ports of entry, along with additional procurement efforts for large-scale imaging equipment. Additionally, the Agency delivered training on advanced automobile examination techniques at the land border to hone officer skills at detecting concealment compartments.

To combat the illegal importation of firearms, the CBSA continued to follow its Firearms Strategy and collaborate with partners through its Cross-Border Firearms Task Force. The Agency’s National Firearms Intelligence Desk and National Targeting Centre played a key role in sharing information across all regions and supporting firearm interdictions at ports of entry. The Joint Border Threat Assessment that was conducted in 2022 to 2023 will guide efforts aimed at preventing illicit firearms smuggling, addressing the threat of privately manufactured firearms, and supporting the disruption and prosecution of organized crime.  

The CBSA addressed the threat of African swine fever by working with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to prevent the importation of high-risk food, plant and animal products from overseas. These efforts included an ongoing public awareness campaign aimed at travellers and stakeholders in Canada and abroad, along with the deployment of detector dog teams specializing in food, plant and animal products.

As a result of joint efforts with Public Safety Canada, Transport Canada and Shared Services Canada, the CBSA successfully closed the project to enhance the Passenger Protect Program in March 2023, delivering a centralized solution for the screening of air passengers against the Secure Air Travel Act (SATA) list, which is commonly referred to as Canada’s “No Fly List.” This solution also helps to prevent SATA-related delays for travellers who have a similar name as someone on the SATA list through the option to apply for a uniquely assigned Canadian Travel Number.

With regard to its Air Passenger Targeting Program, the CBSA continued to engage with the United States and other like-minded partners to support the responsible collection and use of Passenger Name Record data, with a view to strengthening international consensus on the adoption and implementation of the International Civil Aviation Organization’s Standards and Recommended Practices.

In the immigration context, the CBSA took further steps to implement processing efficiencies in the National Security Screening Program to identify inadmissible persons seeking entry into Canada, together with federal partners including the RCMP, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), and the Canadian Security Intelligence Service. In particular, the CBSA continued the Security Screening Automation Project to automate security screening processes in order to expedite low-risk cases and better enable screening officers to focus attention on more complex cases involving persons who may pose a national security risk.

The CBSA enhanced intelligence and enforcement capabilities, with a focus on human trafficking and fraudulent immigration consultants, for the purposes of identifying vulnerable persons and leads for criminal investigations. The Agency also continued intelligence-led operational initiatives, in collaboration with partners in the intelligence community, to identify and interdict national security threat actors, such as those suspected of engaging in espionage, who may be inadmissible to Canada pursuant to section 34 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.

The CBSA kept working to protect the integrity of Canada’s participation in international trade by detecting efforts to abuse the customs process for the movement of illicit financial flows to and from Canada. The Agency works closely with domestic and international partners on an ongoing basis to identify instances of complex trade fraud and trade-based financial crime, including trade-based money laundering, and refer them to the appropriate law enforcement entities. Additionally, the CBSA is collaborating with the United States Department of Homeland Security to pursue a trade transparency solution that would support enhanced detection of trade fraud and trade-based financial crime through systematic data exchange and analytics-driven analysis.

Through its wide-ranging, multi-year suite of Traveller Modernization initiatives, the CBSA is taking further steps toward its vision for the border of the future. The Agency laid the groundwork in 2022 to 2023 for significant efforts over the coming years to invest in infrastructure and processes at Canada’s ports of entry, with a view to expanding the availability of digital technology and self-service tools that use biometric verification to expedite the movement of travellers through the border clearance process. The ultimate goal of Traveller Modernization is to provide travellers with options to streamline their border experience, complete with privacy safeguards, while enhancing the Agency’s ability to identify and address traveller non-compliance by focusing resources on higher risks.

As a foundational piece of Traveller Modernization, the Agency launched and expanded the Advance CBSA Declaration in 2022 to 2023, and successfully integrated this feature into the ArriveCAN app. This feature allows travellers to voluntarily submit their customs and immigration declarations up to 72 hours before their arrival in Canada. Participating travellers have access to dedicated express lanes upon arrival, along with more efficient processing at a kiosk or eGate.

The CBSA completed the deployment of Next Generation Handhelds in 2022 to 2023 to replace existing wireless devices for border services officers. These handhelds enable more flexible processing and enhanced capabilities to capture and risk-assess travellers and conveyances. In addition, the Agency advanced efforts to generate a Traveller Compliance Indicator for travellers entering Canada, with the goal of introducing a risk-based compliance model to support frontline decision-making when an officer is determining whether a traveller should be referred for secondary examination. In doing so, the Agency aims to reduce the likelihood of referrals for compliant travellers based on their history of compliance with border requirements.

Through its Entry/Exit Program, the CBSA continued to ensure the systematic collection of exit data on outbound travellers, allowing the Agency to verify a more complete travel history to support decision-making, and to focus attention on individuals of higher or unknown risk. The collection of exit data is limited by law to basic biographic information that is already routinely collected from all travellers entering Canada, and privacy protections are in place for information sharing with federal partners and United States counterparts.

The CBSA continued to develop a proof-of-concept pilot for the establishment of Canadian land preclearance in a co-located facility in the United States. This will provide an opportunity to assess the feasibility of the operational approach with the goal of pushing out the border, facilitating travel processes for legitimate travellers, and preventing the entry of inadmissible travellers into Canada prior to their arrival. This pilot will allow Canada to gain reciprocal benefits of preclearance by implementing Part Two of the Preclearance Act, 2016 regarding Canadian preclearance in the United States, and will also inform the Agency’s future efforts on preclearance. The Agency’s collaboration with United States Customs and Border Protection highlights our mutual dedication to preclearance.

The CBSA is also developing an approach to automate the reporting of cross-border currency and monetary instruments, with the goal of eventually providing travellers with the ability to electronically declare the import or export of currency and monetary instruments to the CBSA. This is envisioned to increase the overall efficiency of reporting, processing and data transfer to the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada, while promoting compliance with cross-border requirements related to currency and monetary instruments.

As part of its E-Commerce Customs Strategy to keep pace with the continual rise in e-commerce importation volumes, the CBSA completed the E-Commerce Low Value Inspection System proof of concept. This mobile application will transition to a larger-scale pilot, with the aim of enhancing risk targeting in the courier low value stream, leveraging automation and analytics to intercept contraband, and facilitating legitimate trade. In addition, the Agency worked collaboratively with the Canada Post Corporation on postal modernization efforts to set the foundation for future streamlined and strengthened operations at international mail centres in order to manage postal volumes on a daily basis and during peak periods. To further streamline commercial processing, the CBSA continued its Electronic Longroom initiative, which allows clients to submit certain commercial documentation via email and thereby minimizes in-person interactions and decreases processing times.

To prevent the importation of goods believed to be produced by forced labour, the CBSA worked closely with Employment and Social Development Canada to identify goods coming into the country that are suspected to have been produced by forced labour.

The CBSA continued to collaborate with Transport Canada on the Marine Port Modernization Review and introduced amendments to the Customs Act in an effort to address security threats associated with organized crime, smuggling and internal conspiracies, while supporting efficiency and facilitation priorities at Canada’s marine ports. The Agency also undertook extensive engagement with marine industry stakeholders to address the significant growth in international marine container arrivals. Additionally, to improve commercial examination capacity in the marine mode, the Agency continued efforts to equip its Marine Container Examination Facilities with enhanced imaging technology at key locations to inspect marine containers and large conveyances targeted for examination.

Under the CARM project, the Agency took further steps toward Release 2, which is expected to be implemented in May 2024 and will expand the functionality of the CARM system, including the CARM Client Portal. Ultimately, the CARM project will strengthen the Agency’s ability to accurately assess duties and taxes owed on imported goods by automating the processes required to assess, collect, manage and report on revenue, while further enabling importers to self-assess and comply with Canada’s trade requirements.

Concurrently, the CBSA prioritized business readiness for CARM implementation, including a nationwide approach to trade risking as part of the Agency’s Trade Compliance Strategy. This strategy guides operational efforts to encourage compliance based on the relative risk represented by importers and their transactions.

The CBSA conducted anti-dumping and countervailing investigations through its administration of the Special Import Measures Act (SIMA) to guard against unfair trade practices, defend domestic producers, and protect Canadian jobs. These investigations are conducted in parallel with the Canadian International Trade Tribunal’s investigations into injury to Canadian industry caused by dumping and subsidizing.

Additionally, the CBSA developed and implemented an anti-circumvention of trade remedies policy framework, in order to bring greater predictability and efficiency to CBSA investigations of industry complaints that SIMA duties are being unfairly circumvented.

The CBSA signed an Authorized Economic Operator mutual recognition arrangement with Peru in 2022 to 2023, as well as a treaty-level agreement with the European Union, thereby expanding the international network of customs-to-business partnerships aimed at securing the supply chain and facilitating legitimate trade. The Agency also began talks with the United Kingdom toward mutual recognition.

The CBSA advanced the Secure Corridor and Commercial Lane Enhancement Project, with procurement efforts underway to implement trusted lanes at Canada’s largest commercial land ports of entry. The Agency also prioritized the continued enrollment of Free and Secure Trade (FAST) applicants by organizing enrollment blitzes focused on key locations based on industry feedback.

The CBSA reopened eight NEXUS/FAST enrollment centres at Canadian airports in an effort to restore pre-pandemic enrollment capacity, and expanded capacity at existing enrollment centres with extended hours of operation. In addition, two new enrollment centres were opened in the United States, providing more interview opportunities for current and prospective members. The Agency also advanced the necessary program requirements to deploy additional NEXUS eGates across the country. Already in place at several land-based locations, NEXUS eGates allow the CBSA to process NEXUS travellers remotely from a command centre located within the port of entry, streamlining passage for low-risk travellers and enhancing operational flexibility to process increased traveller volumes. The NEXUS interview inventory has seen a 20% reduction since its peak in the summer of 2022. As of September 1, 2023, the inventory stands at approximately 273,000 applicants awaiting an interview, compared to 340,000 in the summer of 2022.

The Recourse Program provides travellers and businesses with an accessible mechanism to seek an impartial review of CBSA decisions and to voice any feedback or complaints, in accordance with legislation and policies administered by the Agency.

In 2022 to 2023, the Agency enhanced its Recourse Program through ongoing improvements to business processes and the development of a secure e-portal for electronic communications with external clients, while maintaining the delivery of core services to clients within established performance targets. Additionally, the Recourse Program continued business readiness activities in preparation for Release 2 of the CARM project, along with efforts to support the Government’s pledge to establish an independent review body for the CBSA.

The CBSA continued to enhance officer recruitment, training and development as part of ongoing efforts to strengthen its workforce, including the implementation of its 2022 to 2025 National Officer Recruitment and Outreach Strategy and Action Plan to enhance recruitment and retention efforts through a diverse workforce and an inclusive workplace. The Agency placed focus on employment equity objectives to increase the representation of equity-seeking groups, along with efforts to enhance job satisfaction and productivity by better aligning the placement of recruits with the Agency’s operational needs and official language requirements. Additionally, the Agency continued reviewing its Force Generation Program, with a view to enhancing pathways for career mapping and talent development, as part of its broader strategy to ensure program sustainability in meeting operational needs going forward.

As part of ongoing efforts to strengthen its infrastructure, the CBSA worked with the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority on the Gordie Howe International Bridge Project to support the design and construction of the Canadian port of entry (POE). In 2022 to 2023, the Agency commenced resourcing and procurement activities to staff and fit-up the POE facility, in line with its vision for a modern, state-of-the-art border crossing.

The CBSA also continued the Land Border Crossing Project, which aims to rebuild multiple land POEs over the next several years. In 2022 to 2023, the Agency installed a mobile prototype to replace the decommissioned POE in Bloomfield, New Brunswick, using an innovative approach that supports the Government of Canada’s environmental sustainability priorities. Made with recycled materials, the prototype features enhanced thermal performance, solar power and rainwater recycling, and is towable to allow for rapid deployment during emergencies or as a flexible alternative for low-volume remote border crossings. Additionally, the Agency opened the newly constructed POE in Fraser, British Columbia, including an Indigenous cultural display in partnership with the Taku River Tlingit First Nation.

In further support of the Government’s commitments to Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples, the CBSA continued to be guided by its Indigenous Framework and Strategy to ensure that Indigenous culture, interests and issues are reflected in CBSA operations. Notable achievements in 2022 to 2023 include:

• Initiating work to implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (UNDA), including engagement with Indigenous partners and other government departments, as well as engagement with the Department of Justice on the development of Measure 52 in their UNDA Action Plan
• Engaging frequently with Indigenous partners through various forums to address their unique and complex Indigenous border crossing issues, including the Haudenosaunee External Relations Committee, the Mohawk Council of Akwesasne (Border Collaboration Initiative), and the White River First Nation (Borders Side Table on the Recognition of Indigenous Rights and Self-Determination)
• Supporting a joint leadership commitment to address longstanding Indigenous border mobility challenges on the occasion of the State Visit of the President of the United States to Canada in March 2023
• Facilitating the Indigenous delegations returning from the Papal visit in Rome and the repatriation of Indigenous cultural items for a number of communities in Canada
• Supporting the Minister of Public Safety in launching the Jay Treaty Border Alliance – Collaboration Initiative in partnership with the Grand Chief of the Mohawk Council of Akwesasne. This included providing leadership on the Strategic Plan for the initiative, including key elements such as right of entry, border crossing experience, identification and travel documents, and entry of goods
• Initiating consultation with Inuit organizations (Qikiqtani Inuit Association, Nunavut Tunngavik Inc.) and the Government of Nunavut to develop regulations on access to Tartupaluk (Hans Island)
• Continuing to strengthen Indigenous cultural competency across the Agency by promoting online and in-person learning opportunities, such as the KAIROS blanket exercise and Indigenous Sacred Bundle workshops
• Supporting the implementation of a CBSA-specific Many Voices, One Mind exercise to begin identifying and addressing barriers that Indigenous employees may experience throughout their careers at the CBSA

The CBSA advanced efforts to ensure economic, social and environmental sustainability through its 2020 to 2023 Departmental Sustainable Development Strategy, which supports the Sustainable Development Goals outlined in the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, including:

• Greening Government, supporting goals such as Affordable Clean Energy; Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure; Sustainable Cities and Communities; Responsible Consumption and Procurement; and Climate Action.
  • Details on key results can be found in the Reporting on green procurement supplementary information table.
• Healthy Wildlife Populations and Sustainable Food, supporting goals such as Zero Hunger; Life Below Water; and Life on Land. Key results include:
  • Taking steps to protect Canada’s biodiversity by officially recognizing the CBSA College, Main Campus as an Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measure, and by conducting a three-phase wildlife study at the campus site that will include engagement with local Indigenous communities to gain knowledge on the flora and fauna that reside in the surrounding forest.
  • Delivering a training module for border services officers on aquatic watercraft inspections to support increased effectiveness in preventing invasive species from entering Canada.
• Safe and Healthy Communities, supporting goals such as Good Health and Well Being; and Responsible Consumption and Production. Key results include:
  • Dedicating more than $2.1 million in funding from 2020 to 2023 for the identification, remediation and monitoring of contaminated sites within the Agency’s real property portfolio, surpassing its target of $1.5 million by 2025.
  • Advancing a wide array of efforts to ensure health and safety across CBSA work sites, including radon testing, potable water monitoring, asbestos assessment and management plans, replacement of equipment containing potentially harmful refrigerants, and auditing of storage tanks with continued monitoring and corrective actions to meet compliance requirements.

The CBSA took steps to improve its GBA Plus governance and data collection practices; apply the GBA Plus lens to inform policy and program decisions impacting service delivery; and mature organizational data literacy to better enable GBA Plus going forward. The Agency also continued to implement the Policy Direction to Modernize the Government of Canada’s Sex and Gender Information Practices to ensure that its services are designed and delivered to be inclusive of all Canadians. For more information, please consult the GBA Plus supplementary information table

Under its core responsibility of border management, the CBSA pursued an array of innovative solutions, including:

E-Commerce Low Value Inspection System

The CBSA successfully concluded the proof-of-concept in 2022 to 2023, with a pilot expected in 2023 to 2024. The prototype system includes a cloud-based solution, with web and mobile applications for officers to access shipment information, as well as enhanced capabilities for automatic processing and assessment of shipments.

Advance CBSA Declaration

The CBSA is offering this feature through web and mobile applications for air travellers seeking entry at any of the ten major international airports in Canada. Using this feature, travellers can submit advance declarations to be confirmed upon arrival, with the benefit of streamlined processing.

E-filing Solution

In line with commitments under the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA), the CBSA is undertaking efforts to establish an online portal whereby interested parties in anti-dumping or countervailing duty proceedings can submit documents electronically. This is an important step toward digitalizing the Agency’s Anti-dumping and Countervailing Program.

Accelerated Radio Deployment Project

This project was completed in 2022 to 2023, involving work at 228 sites and resulting in the deployment of nearly 4,000 radios over a 30-month period across all CBSA regions.

The CBSA continued to focus inland investigative resources on high-risk cases, with criminality and national security being the highest priorities, while conducting investigatory activities and ongoing work with IRCC and the RCMP to improve operational coordination with regard to irregular migration and the in-Canada refugee determination system. The Agency also took steps to improve the management of immigration warrants in line with the Auditor General’s Spring 2020 Report on Immigration Removals, with a focus on supporting administrative removals, while maintaining its warrant management strategy to support immigration enforcement operations.

The CBSA continued efforts to improve Canada’s immigration detention system in line with the National Immigration Detention Framework, with a focus on ensuring that detention is used as a measure of last resort and that alternatives to detention are always considered. In particular, the Agency continued the use of alternatives to detention founded on consistent, risk-based decisions, enabling individuals whose risk can be appropriately mitigated to be released into the community. In October 2022, the new Immigration Holding Centre (IHC) in Laval, Quebec was opened, marking the completion of the last major infrastructure project originally announced under the framework. This will allow the Agency to further reduce its reliance on provincial correctional facilities.

Concurrently, the CBSA enhanced its National Immigration Detention Standards for its three IHCs, as well as for the limited use of provincial facilities, while maintaining its contract with the Canadian Red Cross to provide detention monitoring services in order to ensure that detainees are treated in accordance with applicable domestic standards and international obligations. The standard on detainee care was updated to provide direction on the care and management of vulnerable persons, while the standard on security was updated to provide additional guidance on managing admission and discharge, prohibited items, and personal property within IHCs. The Agency also reviewed risk assessments under the National Risk Assessment for Detention framework to ensure that risks are accurately assessed and that persons are appropriately managed using the most suitable approach, including alternatives to detention.

In collaboration with the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (IRB), the CBSA made further improvements to the management of its hearings-related activities, including the use of virtual hearings prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic, along with updated guidelines for detention reviews in respect of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Additionally, in partnership with IRCC, the CBSA piloted the Integrated Claims Analysis Centre in the Greater Toronto Area to support efficient processing of asylum cases and improved communication channels with IRCC and the IRB. Collectively, the Integrated Claims Analysis Centre and the other triage units operated by the CBSA in Montreal and Vancouver triaged over 46,500 refugee claims in 2022 to 2023.

To ensure the timely departure from Canada of inadmissible persons subject to removal, such as foreign national criminals, failed refugee claimants, and other inadmissible persons, the CBSA continued to enhance its removal operations in line with the recommendations of the Auditor General’s Spring 2020 Report on Immigration Removals. These efforts include using a national triage model, prioritizing high-priority removals, increasing travel document applications, and operating the Removals Help Line to encourage more voluntary removals. The Agency also worked with federal partners to address challenges in obtaining required travel documents from countries that may be uncooperative with removal operations, as this remains the most common impediment to removal.

The CBSA continued building capacity to investigate and prosecute people and businesses that violate Canada’s border-related legislation, with a focus on complex cases of fraud involving individuals and organizations posing a threat to Canada’s immigration system, economy, and the safety and security of Canadians. Operational priorities are primarily focused on cases of fraud by organizers and facilitators of serious immigration offences, including human smuggling, employment fraud, and offences involving immigration consultants, as well as serious customs offences, including firearms and weapons smuggling, trade fraud, and trade-based money laundering.

In collaboration with IRCC and the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants, the CBSA continued efforts to strengthen the governance and enforcement framework applicable to those who offer consultant services to persons seeking to enter or remain in Canada. To better protect applicants and newcomers from fraudulent consultants, the Agency is working to augment its criminal investigative capacity, while supporting the implementation of enhanced compliance, enforcement and disciplinary measures within the revised framework.

The CBSA took steps to improve its GBA Plus governance and data collection practices; apply the GBA Plus lens to inform policy and program decisions impacting service delivery; and mature organizational data literacy to better enable GBA Plus going forward. The Agency also continued to implement the Policy Direction to Modernize the Government of Canada’s Sex and Gender Information Practices to ensure that its services are designed and delivered to be inclusive of all Canadians. For more information, please consult the GBA Plus supplementary information table.

Under its core responsibility of border enforcement, the CBSA pursued an array of innovative solutions, including:

Alternatives to detention

The CBSA is implementing solutions for remote monitoring and reporting to support the release of individuals in cases where detention may be mitigated within the community. In 2022 to 2023, there were 6,730 new enrollments in alternatives to detention and a total of 15,887 active participants.

Asylum modernization

The CBSA is piloting the Integrated Claims Analysis Centre in the Greater Toronto Area and the Integrated Case Tracking and Prioritization Unit at National Headquarters, along with the implementation of a new refugee processing model, to support efficient processing of asylum cases and improved communication channels with IRCC and the IRB.