2024 to 2025 Main Estimates issue note: Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security—Study on Mandate Letter Commitments (March 21, 2024)

Base funding

Compensation adjustments

Employee Benefit Plans (EBP) adjustments

Various transfers

Various Transfers – ($0.9) million:

• $0.9 million (Vote 1) Transfer from the Canada Revenue Agency to the Canada Border Services Agency for Cannabis Excise Tax
• ($0.2 million) (Vote 1) from the Canada Border Services Agency to the Canadian Security Intelligence Service for the Integrated Terrorism Assessment Centre
• ($0.95 million) (Vote 1) from the Canada Border Services Agency to Global affairs Canada to support missions abroad
• ($0.6 million) (Vote 1) from the Canada Border Services Agency to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police for the performance of law enforcement record checks
• ($0.04 million) (Vote 1) from the Canada Border Services Agency to Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat in support of the Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility (IDEA) initiative

Modernize and sustain travel and trade at Canadian borders

Overview

Traveller Modernization (TM) aims to shift the Agency's approach to processing travellers away from high-touch, in-person, transactions towards a digital, self-service processing that provides optional tools to travellers to share information in advance of their arrival. This work is organized around two tracks: Digital Traveller Experience (DTE) and Officer Experience (OE).

The DTE project will provide more options for travellers to report and improve processing experience at staffed and unstaffed border crossings through digital self-service to begin their border clearance process in advance of arrival, including through the use of mobile applications.

The pandemic introduced a specific new business need for a mobile application. The ArriveCAN app was developed in response to a request from the Public Health Agency: to enforce public health measures as they came into effect and evolved over time. Its use was time-limited as part of the government's emergency response to the pandemic. Now, post-pandemic, we are continuing to consider how mobile applications fit within the Agency's broader traveller modernization. The Advance Declaration functionality on the ArriveCAN platform remains an optional tool that allows travellers to make their customs declaration in advance of their arrival at Canada's largest airports.

The OE project will provide front-line officers with better tools such as flexible primary processing and more access to information and analytics to process travellers at the border. It will inform their decisions and allow them to focus on higher risk/higher value activities, and meet increasing demands for service.

Breakdown of funding for 2024 to 2025

• $56.3 million under Vote 1 – Salary
• $89.7 million under Vote 1 – Operating
• $5.5 million under Vote 5 – Salary
• $22.0 million under Vote 5 – Operating

Temporary resident processing

Overview

The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) is seeking funding to support activities related to the Pre-arrival, Arrival and Post-arrival of temporary residents in Canada and to support enabling work and internal services. It will include support to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) with Security Screening of IRCC referrals under Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) and making recommendations on traveller admissibility. This funding will ensure we have necessary staff and equip them to aid in informed decision-making on issuing or refusing temporary resident visa applications and work/study permit applications.

Force Generation requires funds for the Officer Induction and Development Program to train 10 incremental officers and to deliver annual mandatory training for them on ongoing basis.

The CBSA's automation efforts have strengthened pre-border screening efforts and provided the front line with modern tools to verify traveller's identity. Continued development of automated processes will further support the Agency's ability to enforce legislation and protect the national security of Canada and bring the Agency in line with international partners.

The funding is needed to process increasing Temporary Resident (TR) volumes and is the third request made by the CBSA to meet growing workloads. While the CBSA will continue to exercise all due diligence, a top-up submission may be likely should cases increase in complexity and/or volume.

Breakdown of funding for 2024 to 2025

• $11.0 million under Vote 1 – Salary
• $6.7 million under Vote 1 – Operating

Strengthening the front line capacity

Overview

Strengthening the Front Line will comprise the hire of 97 new Border Services Officers (BSOs), but also the hire of 4 new full-time equivalents for the Recourse Program. These new resources are vital in addressing the CBSA frontline pressures particularly in view of commercial and traveller volumes returning to pre-pandemic levels and beyond. The CBSA is experiencing growth in various sectors. The CBSA will deliver 97 new BSOs through its Force Generation Program's Officer Induction Model (OIM), a national approach to recruit, train and develop officers suited for service in an armed law-enforcement agency.

The CBSA's Custodial 117 Ports of Entry (POEs) and 67 Section 6 POEs across the country, include land crossings, international airport and marine terminals. These locations are currently supported by approximately 4,824 BSOs who enforce more than 90 acts, regulations and international agreements to safeguard Canada's security and prosperity by ensuring the free flow of admissible people and goods, while supporting national security and public safety priorities.

The Recourse program deals directly with and provide, the business community and cross-border travellers, with an accessible mechanism to seek an impartial review of trade decisions, enforcement actions, prohibited goods, late accounting penalties and membership cancellations or rejections from a trusted program administered by the CBSA.

Traveller volumes are returning to their pre-pandemic levels and there is continued growth in commercial, more specifically in the marine mode and courier business lines. As a result, the Agency is under increasing pressure to effectively manage the border and maintain its operational agility to deal with these significant increases in volumes. This funding is needed to deploy new BSOs to support each region's increasing workload demands in as equitable a manner as possible, based on volumes, current staff contingents and overtime costs analysis.

Breakdown of funding for 2024 to 2025

• $12.4 million under Vote 1 – Salary
• $4.5 million under Vote 1 – Operating

Immigration Levels Plan

Overview

The 2023 to 2025 Immigration Levels Plan received $4.9 million to support the incremental increase in permanent resident admissions in addition to what has already been approved in the 2021 to 2023 Immigration Levels Plan.

The CBSA provides integrated border services that support national security and public safety priorities and facilitates the free flow of low-risk people and goods into Canada. The CBSA plays a critical role in the admission of new Permanent Residents (PRs) by providing assistance to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) in the interdiction of fraud, in comprehensive security screening of PR applicants, and processing applications for Ministerial Relief. The CBSA is responsible for conferring PR status to PR visa holders entering Canada through a port of entry who meet the eligibility requirements, and for enforcement of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) through the Immigration Enforcement and Criminal Investigations programs.

The 2023 to 2025 Immigration Levels Plan maintains the policy objectives of past plans, including continuing to deliver long-term benefits to Canada; contributing to short-term economic growth and meeting labour market needs; and ensuring a well-managed migration system.

Explanation of funding for 2024 to 2025

In 2024 to 2025, the CBSA requested $52.1 million of funding through the Main Estimates.

Main Estimates - $52.1 million

• $34.8 million under Vote 1 – Salary
• $17.2 million under Vote 1 – Operating
• $0.1 million under Vote 5 – Operating

Funding to replace large-scale imaging equipment

Overview

The CBSA is seeking access to $6.15 million announced to replace critical large-scale imaging equipment. The replacement is an essential component of meeting the CBSA's enforcement priorities to detect, disrupt, interdict, and enforce contraband smuggling. Large-scale imaging equipment fulfils an important role in allowing the CBSA to deliver border services on behalf of other government departments and agencies, and contributes to the flow of legitimate goods (supply chains) and travellers by facilitating more efficient and effective border examinations.

Breakdown of funding for 2024 to 2025

• $0.15 million under Vote 1 – Operating
• $6.0 million under Vote 5 – Operating

Implementation of Canada's Indo-Pacific Strategy

Overview

Global Affairs Canada (the Strategy lead) and partner departments and agencies are seeking access to new funding earmarked in the fiscal framework, starting in 2023 to 2024, to implement Canada's Indo-Pacific Strategy, [Redacted] in November 2022. An off-cycle funding decision provided $2.26 billion over five years (starting in fiscal year 2023 to 2024) and $175.4 million per year ongoing in support of five objectives that will aim to:

1. promote peace, resilience, and security
2. expand trade, investment, and supply chain resilience
3. invest and connect in people
4. build a sustainable and green future
5. ensure Canada's role as an active and engaged partner to the region

Breakdown of funding for 2024 to 2025

• $1.6 million under Vote 1 – Salary
• $1.1 million under Vote 1 – Operating

National security intelligence review

Overview

With the establishment of the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians (NSICOP) in 2017, and the National Security and Intelligence Review Agency (NSIRA) in 2019, federal departments and agencies who undertake national security or intelligence activities must now respond to comprehensive external review requirements. In order to do so, they have set up (or are expanding) liaison units to respond to NSICOP's and NSIRA's information requests, including the provision of documents, written responses to questions, and briefings.

This funding supports the CBSA's capacity to meet external review requirements related to its participation in related reviews.

Breakdown of funding for 2024 to 2025

• $1.3 million under Vote 1 – Salary
• $0.1 million under Vote 1 – Operating

Canada trade remedy system

Overview

In Budget 2022, the Government Canada introduced measures to help small and medium-sized business. One of these measures was increasing access to Canada's trade remedy system by providing $4.7 million over five years and $1.1 million ongoing to create a trade remedy advisory service within the CBSA to help companies understand and access Canada's trade remedy system, with a focus on small and medium-sized enterprises.

Breakdown of funding for 2024 to 2025

• $0.7 million under Vote 1 – Salary
• $0.1 million under Vote 1 – Operating

Land Border Crossing Project

Breakdown of funding for 2024 to 2025

• $0.2 million under Vote 1 – Salary
• $0.2 million under Vote 1 – Operating
• $1.4 million under Vote 5 – Salary
• $63.2 million under Vote 5 – Operating

Border infrastructure (Lacolle)

Overview

As part of the Beyond the Border Action Plan, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) received funding to rebuild the following ports of entry (POEs): Emerson, Manitoba; Lacolle, Québec; and North Portal, Saskatchewan. The new or expanded CBSA facilities at key border crossings have the highest commercial trade value, traffic volume and are in urgent need of repair through the Major Border Crossing Infrastructure (MBI) initiative.

Three out of the four POEs have been completed. The Lacolle commercial facilities are complete, but the new traveller facilities remain outstanding. Lacolle's delays are due to a change in designs based on input from the US counterpart. In order to align the designs with the US road layout, the Lacolle traveller facilities will now be incorporated into the work of the Land Border Crossing Project.

Breakdown of funding for 2024 to 2025

• $2.8 million under Vote 1 – Salary
• $2.0 million under Vote 1 – Operating
• $16.4 million under Vote 5 – Operating

Canada's asylum irregular migration system

Overview

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), the Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB), the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), and the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) received funding to support security operations at the Canada-U.S border to enhance the Government of Canada's capacity to process an increased number of asylum claimants, and implement measures to deter irregular migration.

The CBSA, IRCC, and IRB had existing funding to process a baseline of 26,000 claims per year, including 3,500 associated with the 2016 Mexico visa lift for which ongoing funding remains frozen in each organizations' reference levels. The baseline funding is inadequate to meet demand. Therefore, funding was sought to secure a higher permanent capacity to process 50,000 claims per year, and a temporary top-up for another 10,000 claims to handle higher volumes due to increase demand for 2023 to 2024 (although this is still below the between 96,000 and 126,000 new claims projected for 2022 to 2023).

The re-baselining funding request includes border management, inland enforcement, Asylum Interoperability Project, surge costs, contingency, and internal services.

Breakdown of funding for 2024 to 2025

• $48.3 million under Vote 1 – Salary
• $74.4 million under Vote 1 – Operating
• $0.4 million under Vote 5 – Operating

Numbers may not balance due to rounding

Resettlement of Afghan refugees

Overview

Canada has a prolonged history and connection with the Afghan people. Canada has provided humanitarian assistance and formalized diplomatic relations with Afghanistan since the 1960s.

The complete withdrawal of international forces from Afghanistan, followed by the assertion of Taliban control in August 2021, has resulted in significant and immediate risks to the Afghan people who collaborated with Canada and other allied powers.

Further, the Taliban's ideology places religious minorities (for example, Shiites, Hindus, Sikhs, Christians, Ahmadis), women, sexual and gender minorities, ethnic minorities (for example, Hazaras, Tajiks), and social and political activists at particular risk of persecution and even targeted killings.

The Prime Minister has instructed the Minister of Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship to "act with urgency to provide resettlement opportunities for people under threat, including Afghan citizens and human rights defenders" and, with the support of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, to "continue to facilitate the safe passage and resettlement of vulnerable people from Afghanistan, with an emphasis on individuals who supported Canada and our allies over the past two decades, women, LGBTQ2 people, human rights defenders, journalists and members of religious and ethnic minorities and increase the number of eligible refugees from 20,000 to at least 40,000."

Under this mandate, the Minister of Immigration, Refugee, and Citizenship Canada has approved a plan to resettle up to 40,000 Afghan nationals by 2024.

The scope and scale of this commitment require an unprecedented level of effort and sustained multi-year cooperation of all levels of government and civil society and significant investments in international, federal, provincial, and private sector infrastructure. Most of all, it requires flexibility to work in new and agile ways, to react in real time to changing environments and to capitalize on opportunities to realize Canada's commitment to the Afghan people.

The CBSA's International Network – Operations Unit provides operational support to the Liaison Officer (LO) network via information management and coordination of assistance requests, trend analysis and the handling of sensitive operational matters. The Unit is also responsible for the deployment of Temporary Duty LOs (TDLOs) as needed.

The CBSA also works with key partners in Headquarters and the Regions, including Intelligence, Inland Enforcement and the National Targeting Centre.

The CBSA plays a critical role in the admission of new Permanent Residents (PRs) by assisting IRCC in the interdiction of fraud, in comprehensive security screening of PR applicants, and in processing applications for Ministerial Relief. The CBSA is responsible for conferring PR status to admissible PR visa holders entering Canada through a port of entry who meet the eligibility requirements, and for enforcing the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) through the Immigration Enforcement and Criminal Investigations programs.

In addition, the CBSA Afghanistan Task Force works with its partners to coordinate the arrival of Afghan nationals via chartered flights and commercial flights to various airports in Canada.

The requested funding will provide the CBSA with required resources and equipment to process the Afghan Nationals who will be resettled in Canada as part of this humanitarian effort.

Breakdown of funding for 2024 to 2025

• $10.9 million under Vote 1 – Salary
• $7.8 million under Vote 1 – Operating

Gordie Howe International Bridge Project

Overview

On June 15, 2012, the Government of Canada announced the approval of the Gordie Howe International Bridge (GHIB) project to alleviate pressures within the Windsor-Detroit Gateway; the busiest corridor between the US and Canada. The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) has a non-discretionary requirement to provide the necessary capacity at the GHIB Canadian Port of Entry (POE) to ensure efficient and effective processing of trade and traffic, and to satisfy security considerations.

The CBSA's deliverables in support of the GHIB are to define space and operational requirements for the new POE, as well as to equip, furnish and ensure adequate workforce requirements are in place to operate throughput of the POE.

Funding was approved [Redacted]:

• 2016 to 2017 ARLU: to establish the CBSA's GHIB Project Management Office (PMO), as well as to develop and initiate the Agency's GHIB Resourcing Strategy. $16.6 million was approved in December 2016, with $13.4 million provided to the CBSA. At this time, the GHIB opening was expected in December 2020. The GHIB's projected completion date is now November 2024. Given this, the PMO slowed spending to ensure sufficient funding to project closure in the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2024 to 2025
• 2021 to 2022 ARLU: to implement the resourcing strategy, complete the procurement and fit-up of the Government Furnishings and Equipment (GF&E) for the POE. Authority was provided to enter into a reimbursement agreement with the Windsor Detroit Bridge Authority (WDBA) for the costs of the Fixed-Site Large-Scale Imaging (FS-LSI), and to staff 259 Border Service Officers (BSOs). $172.4 million approved in April 2021, with $156.3 million provided to the CBSA

The CBSA's project implementation is dependent on the Master Project Schedule (MPS) which is controlled by the WDBA and has not yet been shared.

Breakdown of funding for 2024 to 2025

• $46.1 million under Vote 1 – Salary
• $11.6 million under Vote 1 – Operating
• $6.2 million under Vote 5 – Operating