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Ministerial transition 2019: Minister's book
CBSA's modernization vision
Document navigation for Ministerial transition 2019
Border of the future
Introduction
Managing the movement of people and goods across Canadian borders has become increasingly complex in an evolving global landscape. The Government of Canada needs to remain responsive and agile at the border to ensure Canada maintains a strong and competitive posture on trade, facilitation and security. To meet these challenges in a sustainable manner, the CBSA is working actively on implementing a strategy to develop border services appropriate for the future. This has become known amongst Border 5 countries (Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand) as, "the Border of the Future". The Border of the Future is a model of border services which will increase and facilitate compliance, automate and optimize processes, and harness the power of data analytics to streamline services and improve targeted enforcement.
Background
Key trends are exerting pressure on an already strained border management system: increasing and diversifying global migration; increasing threat complexity; diversified commercial and trade patterns; changing technology; and changing climate. Similar trends and pressures are being experienced by international partners, including the Border 5 countries.
The effects of these megatrends are apparent in the Agency's workload. For example, in 2018 to 2019 the CBSA processed:
- 35.7 million air travellers (38% increase since 2011 to 2012)
- 29,000+ asylum claims (156% increase since 2011 to 2012)
- 134.5 million postal and courier releases (192% increase since 2011 to 2012)
- 25,000+ contraband (for example, illicit drugs and firearms) seizures (134% increase since 2011 to 2012)
Given existing pressures and expected trends, it is increasingly apparent that the status quo is unsustainable. In 2018 to 2019, the CBSA completed a comprehensive review of all its managerial and operational areas, including its workforce, infrastructure, organizational design, business management approach, revenue collection activities and innovation agenda. As a result of this review and further analysis, the Agency has identified changes in a number of areas which are required in order to position Canada's border services appropriately for the future.
Approach
In order to strengthen its foundation, the CBSA must:
- pursue legal amendments to enable modernized services which reflect current and future paradigms of volumes, technology, and other drivers
- replace aging physical infrastructure with new inspection and processing facilities to address increasing volumes
- upgrade information technology systems to support use of data analytics, information-sharing and efficient processing
- develop an effective funding management strategy, including off-setting modernization costs through efficiency measures, revenue generation and cost recovery
In addition to the foundational elements described above, the Agency has identified specific needs for modernization in its business lines, including:
- Travel:
- Identify opportunities to make the border experience more convenient and faster for legitimate travellers
- Enhance risk assessments of high risk and non-compliant travellers through predicative analytics
- Customs, Commerce and Trade:
- [redacted]
- Implement the service improvements necessary to facilitate voluntary compliance and deter non-compliance of companies with duty and tax laws
- Intelligence and Enforcement:
- [redacted] support the timely processing of record numbers of asylum claimants
- Pursue changes to ensure the detention and removal of those inadmissible to Canada
- Enhance cross-border efforts to protect Canadians from threats including illicit opioids, smuggled firearms, and organized crime
To deliver the Border of the Future, the Agency will need to collaborate with both domestic and international partners, such as Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, Transport Canada, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and Global Affairs Canada.
These transformational initiatives will better position the CBSA to become more responsive, better able to deliver border services that are appropriate for today and into the future, and to support the Agency mandate and the overall Government of Canada agenda at home and abroad.
Advice to minister
[redacted]
[redacted]
Document navigation for Ministerial transition 2019
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