Thank you, and good afternoon to all of you.
Good afternoon Mr. Chair, and members of the Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities.
Thank you for inviting me to participate in the discussion today.
I am pleased to be here to answer your questions about the role of the Canada Border Services Agency, or CBSA, with respect to the arrival of Ukrainian nationals in Canada and sanctions against Russia.
The CBSA is responsible to facilitate the flow of legitimate travel and trade into Canada. Its role is to assess the security risk and admissibility of persons coming to Canada. All persons, including Canadian citizens, seeking entry to Canada must present to the CBSA and may be subject to a more indepth exam. Admissibility of all travellers is decided on a case-by-case basis and based on the information made available at the time of entry.
The CBSA is committed to protecting the health and safety of Canadians and will examine, detain or seize goods entering Canada if they pose a health, safety or security risk.
Further and beyond the screening of travellers, the CBSA also uses a number of automated advance information sources from carriers and importers to identify goods and conveyances that may pose a threat to Canada.
The Agency uses a risk-management approach to facilitate legitimate trade while focusing on higher or unknown risks. This approach involves screening goods at several points along the trade continuum: at the earliest opportunity overseas, in transit, and upon arrival at the Canadian border.
The agency's focus is on getting the right information at the right time in order to know when, where and how to target its enforcement efforts. CBSA targeting officers work in collaboration with border services officers who are trained in examination, investigative and questioning techniques. Together they are the agency's greatest assets when it comes to identifying, detecting and intercepting contraband or other goods at the border.
As it pertains to commercial sanctions, the CBSA is supporting the whole-of-government response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and is assisting Global Affairs Canada in the administration of the Special Economic Measures Act, the United Nations Act, the Justice for Victims of Corrupt Foreign Officials Act, the Export and Import Permits Act and other associated regulations at the border.
The CBSA is also an active partner in the marine security operations centres and supports Transport Canada with relevant and timely customs information.
The CBSA works closely with the RCMP to deliver the broad range of border services with the CBSA mandate focused on delivering services at ports of entry.
Border services officers also review import and export documents, including bills of lading, invoices and certificates of origin to determine if the goods or shipments and transactions are subject to sanctions or control measures. Shipments that appear to be in contravention of the legislation, regulations or sanctions are detained and referred to Global Affairs for further assessment. Upon direction from Global Affairs, the CBSA may detain the shipment or seize it to make sure that all the applicable regulations and sanctions are applied at ports of entry.
The CBSA also conducts risk assessments on travellers and goods seeking entry to the country. We work with our partners in the intelligence sector to conduct security screening on foreign nationals seeking entry to the country. Both the screening and risk assessment processes include the collection and analysis of information from a variety of sources and partners to determine the admissibility and the risk.
The agency also regularly shares, under strict legal parameters, relevant information on border and national security issues to our partners, as well as other government departments in Canada to ensure the health, safety and security of Canadians.
All goods, conveyances and people may be subject to an in-depth exam. The CBSA risk assesses 100% of all vessels and their cargo in order to identify potentially higher-risk vessels and the goods they are carrying.
Our officers exercise their professional judgment in a highly complex environment and are well supported in their training to apply these measures. We further work closely with other partners, including Transport Canada and the RCMP, to ensure that security and sanctions are applied appropriately.
I will be happy to answer questions from committee members.
Thank you.