Border Chief Says She Was Unaware Officers Are Frustrated by Limited Powers to Catch Illegal Crossers

Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) President Erin O'Gorman waits to appear before the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security in the Parliamentary Prescient of Ottawa on Dec. 3, 2024. Spencer Colby/The Canadian Press

The border agency chief said she learned from media that her officers are frustrated about not being able to react when they notice individuals crossing the border illegally near a port of entry due to a jurisdictional issue.

“That has never been raised to my attention,” Erin O'Gorman, president of the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), said while appearing before the House of Commons public safety committee on Dec. 3.

O'Gorman told Conservative MP Raquel Dancho she had learned this information from reading the news.

Border union president Mark Weber was quoted by the National Post on Dec. 2 saying it’s “silly” CBSA agents have to call the RCMP when they see people crossing the border away from a port of entry.

“It seems that there is frustration with our border officers that they literally are seeing someone go just right out of their jurisdiction and they can’t apprehend them,” said Dancho after reading Weber’s quote to O'Gorman.

O'Gorman said she would be “happy to undertake the work” to address the legislative constraints on CBSA’s mandate while adding the issue ultimately resides with Parliament.

CBSA and the RCMP currently split responsibilities for border security. The border agency is responsible for ports of entry whereas the Mounties cover the border in between ports of entry.

Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc told the committee he’s taken note of the border union president’s comments and he has discussed the issue with RCMP Commissioner Michael Duheme. “We haven’t made any decisions in that regard, but are open to considering that as well,” LeBlanc said.

Border security concerns have jumped to the top of politicians’ priority list in the last week, following U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s threat of tariffs. Trump said on Nov. 25 he would impose a 25 percent tariff on goods coming from Canada and Mexico if they don’t address illegal immigration and drug smuggling.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) says it had about 199,000 encounters with “removable noncitizens” at the U.S. northern border in fiscal 2024, compared to over 2.1 million at the border with Mexico. CBP also reported seizing 11,600 pounds of drugs at the northern border in 2024 and 275,000 pounds at the southern border.

Meanwhile, LeBlanc told the committee CBSA intercepted over 13 tonnes of illegal drugs at land crossings over the past two years.

Visit

LeBlanc testified at committee shortly after a visit to Trump’s residence in Florida last week with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, where he said border security and trade were discussed.

LeBlanc said Trudeau also raised the issue of illegal firearms as well as cocaine and methamphetamine from the United States being smuggled into Canada. “I think we wanted to impress upon the Americans that not only did we share their concerns, we had our own as well,” he said.

Ottawa says it’s taking action to alleviate the incoming U.S. administration’s concerns, fast-tracking the purchase of equipment to increase surveillance coverage at the border. Procurement Minister Jean-Yves Duclos told reporters on Dec. 3 the government is using “national emergency” authorities to speed up the purchases.

Putting more boots on the ground to bolster security is more complicated due to human resources issues and competing priorities, officials told the committee.

LeBlanc did not provide the committee with a specific human resources plan for the border regarding CBSA and RCMP effectives.

“There will be additional resources, human and equipment, we’ve said that consistently,” he said, adding that the specific announcement will come before Trump takes office on Jan. 20. “We are finalizing that as a government now, based on the advice that we receive” from the RCMP and CBSA, said LeBlanc.

The RCMP previously said it has a contingency plan to deal with an increased flow of migrants seeking to leave the United States to avoid Trump’s promised “mass deportation”; however, the strategy to prevent the flow going the other way has not been fleshed out.

Even with more resources on the ground near the border, there isn’t much the RCMP can do within the scope of the law to stop people from crossing into the United States.

Duheme remarked that an offence is only committed when the individual crosses the border.

“It’s more important than ever to have the right technology and the right partnership south of the border,” he said.