Background information—Standing Committee on Public Accounts: Office of the Auditor General Audit on Pandemic Preparedness – Surveillance and Border Control Measure (April 20, 2021)

CBSA Management Response and Action Plan

CBSA detailed action plan to the recommendations for the Audit on Pandemic Preparedness – Surveillance and Border Control Measures as part of the reports of Office of the Auditor General of Canada (OAG).

Recommendation

The Canada Border Services Agency, in collaboration with the Public Health Agency of Canada, should ensure that border services officers have the appropriate guidance and tools to enforce border control measures imposed to limit the spread of COVID-19. Furthermore, because border control measures regarding entry and mandatory quarantine continue to evolve, the Canada Border Services Agency should conduct a review of decisions related to essential workers to ensure that border services officers are properly applying exemptions. The findings from this review should be used to adjust existing and future guidance for the enforcement of Emergency Orders.

CBSA response

The CBSA agrees with the OAG recommendation.

The CBSA via its Border Task Force (BTF) has expanded its support to frontline border services officers beyond the already existing operational guideline bulletins, 7/24 live support access and regular case reviews. In addition, the Agency has supplemented support by conducting detailed technical briefings prior to the implementation of new or amended Orders in Council (OICs). The objective is to support the accurate implementation of new provisions and ensure clarity for frontline staff.

The CBSA has established a process to monitor decisions made by border services officers as they relate to the application of OICs for essential workers. The Agency will continue to utilize this information to inform adjustments or reviews that may be required of the OICs.

The CBSA-BTF will develop a training tool by June 2021 to assist front line officers in understanding the complexities of the OICs.

The CBSA and the Public Health Agency of Canada have regularly consulted on interpretations of the OICs and will continue to collaborate on future adjustments and improvements.

Description of final expected outcome/result

CBSA officers will be able to make consistent decisions on the applications of the OICs as it pertains to entry requirements and quarantine requirements.

Expected final completion date

June 2021

Key interim milestones

The CBSA will support CBSA frontline border services officers by:

1. Providing written direction in the form of operational bulletins, live 7/24 support and regular technical briefings on changes to OICs. (Ongoing)
2. Continuing to review the application of exemptions to quarantine under the Essential category to inform policy making or required adjustments to the OIC. (Ongoing)
3. Finalizing an additional training tool for officers. (June 2021)

PACP Committee overview

The Standing Committee on Public Accounts (PACP) has existed since Confederation, and has precursors that considerably predate 1867. It is one of only four House of Commons Standing Committees that are chaired by a member of the Official Opposition's party.

Committee Mandate

PACP is Parliament's standing audit committee. It reviews the work of the federal government's external auditor, the Auditor General of Canada.

When the Speaker tables a report by the Auditor General in the House of Commons, it is automatically referred to PACP. The Committee selects the chapters of the report it wants to study and calls the Auditor General and senior public servants from the audited organizations to appear to respond to the Office of the Auditor General's findings. The Committee also reviews the Public Accounts of Canada and examines financial and/or accounting shortcomings raised by the Auditor General.

Government policy, and the extent to which policy objectives are achieved, are generally not examined by PACP. Instead, the Committee focuses on government administration – the economy and efficiency of program delivery as well as the adherence to government policies, directives and standards. The Committee seeks to hold the government to account for effective public administration and due regard for public funds.

Committee members

Kelly Block (Chair)

Political affiliation: Conservative Party of Canada
Constituency: Carlton Trail—Eagle Creek, Saskatchewan

• First elected in 2008 and re-elected in 2011, 2015, and 2019
• Served as vice-chair on the Standing Committee on Trade, Infrastructure and Communities in the 42nd Parliament
• Member of the Liaison Standing Committee
• Former member of the Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates in the 43rd and 41st Parliaments, and of the Standing Committee on Finance in the 40th Parliament
• Former Opposition critic for Public Services and Procurement
• Prior to her election, Mrs. Block served two terms as the first female mayor of Waldheim, Saskatchewan, as chairperson of the Gabriel Springs Health District, and was awarded the Maclean's Parliamentarian of the Year – Rising Star – Award in June 2010

Interest in the CBSA

• 43rd Parliament
  • Question Period
    • Questioned the Government on how many suspected fake personal protective equipment (PPE) shipments the CBSA has seized (April 2020)

Lloyd Longfield (First Vice-Chair)

Political affiliation: Liberal Party of Canada
Constituency: Guelph, Ontario

• First elected in 2015 and re-elected in 2019
• Member of the Environment and Sustainable Development Committee (ENVI)
• Former Executive Director of the Guelph Chamber of Commerce, and former business executive

Interest in the CBSA

• 43rd Parliament
  • Committee (PACP – E-commerce OAG Audit, November 2020)
    • Asked about streamlining duty and tax data received from courier companies and about whether legislative amendments could support better revenue capture
  • Committee (PACP – Removals OAG Audit, November 2020)
    • Asked about screening processes at the border and whether they leverage agreements with Five Eyes allies

Maxime Blanchette-Joncas (Second Vice-Chair)

Political affiliation: Bloc Québécois
Constituency: Rimouski-Neigette – Témiscouata – Les Basques, Quebec
Critic for Public Accounts and Tourism

• First elected in 2019
• Preceded in his riding by Guy Caron who served as the leader of the NDP from 2017 to 2019
• Business Administration graduate from the University of Quebec in Rimouski and former administrative officer at the Business Development Bank of Canada
• Was regional president of the Youth Forum of the Bloc Québécois

Interest in the CBSA

• 43rd Parliament
  • Committee (PACP – E-commerce OAG Audit, November 2020)
    • Qualified the audit as "explosive" and requested the Committee spend additional time studying the report
    • Was especially interested in estimates of lost tax revenue in Quebec
  • Committee (PACP – Removals OAG Audit, November 2020)
    • Was critical that despite Parliament having approved frequent funding to support the immigration system over the years, results seem not to improve

Luc Berthold

Political affiliation: Conservative Party of Canada
Constituency: Mégantic—L'Érable, Quebec
Critic for Treasury Board

• First elected in 2015 and re-elected in 2019
• Former Vice-Chair of the Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, and the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food
• Prior to his election, Mr. Berthold was Nathalie Normandeau's Political Assistant, and communications advisor for the Leader of the Official Opposition in 1999, the Interim Director of communications for Quebec's Liberal Party in 2006, and worked as a speaker, coach and gave leadership training sessions

Interest in the CBSA

• 43rd Parliament
  • Committee (PACP – Removals OAG Audit, November 2020)
    • Asked hypothetical questions and the state of removals had it not been for the Agency's directed focus during the COVID-19 pandemic, and asked for various details about individuals subject to a removal order (in which provinces are they, where are they from, where did they come in to Canada)
  • Statement by Members
    • Criticized the Government was too slow to close to borders (October 2020)

Philip Lawrence

Political affiliation: Conservative Party of Canada
Constituency: Northumberland—Peterborough South, Ontario
Critic for National Revenue

• First elected in 2019
• Former member of Standing Committee of Justice and Human Rights
• Prior to his election, Mr. Lawrence received his BA from Brock University in Political Science, he attended Osgoode Hall Law School and the Schulich School of business to obtain his law degree and MBA, and volunteered at the Financial Planning Standards Council

Interest in the CBSA

• 43rd Parliament
  • Committee (PACP – E-commerce OAG Audit, November 2020)
  • Committee (PACP – Removals OAG Audit, November 2020)
    • Asked questions about the amounts offered to individuals to incentivize voluntary departure from Canada
    • Asked about the amount of enforceable removal orders, the amount of removal orders associated with criminality, and about crimes committed by individuals subject to a removal order. Suggested the screening process may not be comprehensive if criminality is not always flagged

Len Webber

Political affiliation: Conservative Party of Canada
Constituency: Calgary Confederation, Alberta

• First elected in 2015 and re-elected in 2019
• Former Vice-Chair of the Standing Committee on Health in the 42nd Parliament
• Former member of the Standing Committee on Health, and of its Subcommittee on Sports-Related Concussions in Canada
• Prior to his election, Mr. Webber was a Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, representing the constituency of Calgary-Foothills from 2004 to 2014
• He worked as an apprentice electrician and managed his own contracting company for 10 years, and served as vice president and director of the Webber Academy, a private, non-profit school founded by his father in southwest Calgary for children from junior kindergarten to grade 12

Interest in the CBSA

• 43rd Parliament
  • Nothing to note

Matthew Green

Political affiliation: New Democratic Party of Canada
Constituency: Hamilton Centre, Ontario
Critic for National Revenue, Public Services and Procurement, Treasury Board, and Deputy Critic for Ethics

• First elected in 2019 in the riding formerly held by NDP MP David Christopherson
• Former Councilor for the City of Hamilton (2014 to 2018)
• Member of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates (OGGO)
• Member of the Canada-Africa Parliamentary Association (CAAF) and the Canadian Section of ParlAmericas (CPAM)

Interest in the CBSA

• 43rd Parliament
  • Committee (PACP – E-commerce OAG Audit, November 2020)
    • Asked questions about delays in approving an e-commerce strategy, and about whether any provinces had raised concerns about lost tax revenue
  • Committee (PACP – Removals OAG Audit, November 2020)
    • Expressed an interest in the government's use of detention and immigration holding centres, and asked whether any analysis had been done on the impact of removal delays on individuals and their families
  • Government Orders
    • In the context of Bill C-3 (43-1), was critical of Bill C-23, Preclearance Act (42-1) for "allowing U.S. Customs and Border Protection agencies to detain and question people indefinitely" (February 2020)

Kody Blois

Political affiliation: Liberal Party of Canada
Constituency: Kings—Hants, Nova Scotia

• First elected in 2019 in the riding formerly held by former TBS President and Liberal MP Scott Brison
• Member of the Standing Committee for Agriculture and Agri-Food
• Blois completed degrees in commerce, law, and public administration - which sparked his interest in serving his community

Interest in the CBSA

• 43rd Parliament
  • Committee (PACP – E-commerce OAG Audit, November 2020)
    • Asked about compliance in the CLVS Program
  • Committee (PACP – Removals OAG Audit, November 2020)
    • Asked about challenges in enforcing removals during COVID-19 and about when Canada might have a voluntary departure program in place

Greg Fergus

Political affiliation: Liberal Party of Canada
Constituency: Hull—Alymer, Quebec
Parliamentary Secretary to the President of the Treasury Board and to the Minister of Digital Government

• First elected in 2015 and re-elected in 2019
• Member of the Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics
• Former member of the Standing Committee on Finance
• Former Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development
• Chair of the Canadian Caucus of Black Parliamentarians, former National Director of the Liberal Party of Canada, and former political staffer in various Ministerial offices

Interest in the CBSA

• 43rd Parliament
  • Committee (PACP – E-commerce OAG Audit, November 2020)
    • Asked about the CBSA's legislative authority to require e-invoicing, and about increases to CLVS shipment volumes in recent years
  • Committee (PACP – Removals OAG Audit, November 2020)
    • Asked about efforts to improve data sharing among departments and to ensure interoperability between IRCC and CBSA systems
  • Government Orders
    • Defended the Government about the national approach to data collection, the Government's response to COVID-19 and the control measures at the border (October 2020)

Francesco Sorbara

Political affiliation: Liberal Party of Canada
Constituency: Vaughn—Woodbridge, Ontario
Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Revenue

• First elected in 2015 and re-elected in 2019
• Member of the Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics
• Former member of the Standing Committee on Finance
• Sorbara is a chartered financial analyst and worked in the global financial markets for nearly 20 years in both Canada and the United States for Scotiabank, JPMorgan Chase, and global credit rating agency DBRS

Interest in the CBSA

• 43rd Parliament
  • Committee (PACP – Removals OAG Audit, November 2020)
    • Asked about efforts to improve data sharing among departments and to ensure interoperability between IRCC and CBSA systems

Jean Yip

Political affiliation: Liberal Party of Canada
Constituency: Scarborough—Agincourt, Ontario

• First elected in a 2017 by-election and re-elected in 2019
• Member of the Special Committee on Canada-China Relations
• Former member of the Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates

Interest in the CBSA

• 43rd Parliament
  • Committee (PACP – Removals OAG Audit)
    • Asked about future programs to incentivize voluntary departure from Canada, and about the comparative experience of other jurisdictions with those programs
    • Asked about efforts to ensure interoperability between IRCC and CBSA systems