Canada Border Services Agency

1.21 Recommendation:

To define and clarify roles, responsibilities, policies, and procedures for administering import requirements, the Canada Border Services Agency and Health Canada should prepare and finalize annexes for all programs identified in their 15 November 2012 umbrella memorandum of understanding (UMOU).  The Canada Border Services Agency should then document or update instructions to border services officers for these programs and products.

Response:

Agreed.  The Agency and the Department will work together to complete annexes to the umbrella memorandum of understanding with related procedures that clearly define the roles and responsibilities of each organization for the border administration of the Department’s import requirements.  One to two annexes would be completed by March 2013, with all completed by March 2014.

Management Action Plan:

Milestone Dates

Responsible

Area

MAP 1.21:

The CBSA will collaborate with Health Canada in developing and completing program annexes to the Health Canada UMOU to document the administration of the programs at the border.  Specifically, the annexes will be completed for programs related to the Pest Control Products Act, and health products regulated under the Food and Drugs Act, Controlled Drug and Substances Act and Consumer Safety/Hazardous Products Act.

The CBSA will complete and sign four Letters of Intent with Health Canada to commit to the completion of the program annexes with Health Canada.

The CBSA will work with Health Canada to complete two annexes within 2012-2013 with the remaining two completed by 2012-2014.

The CBSA will collaborate with Health Canada in updating instructions, D-memos or other documents for Border Services Officers on the administration of the import requirements for the aforementioned Health Canada programs.

March 2014

March 2012

(completed)

June 2013

March 2014

CBSA VP

Programs

CBSA VP Programs

CBSA VP Programs

CBSA VP Programs

Canada Border Services Agency

1.29 Recommendation:

The Canada Border Services Agency should ensure that the Process Monitoring Framework reporting includes enough information for the Agency to assess whether border controls are working as intended, share the results with relevant federal organizations, and act on the results.

Response:

Agreed.  The Agency will replace the Process Monitoring Framework with a new review structure.  The new structure will streamline the Agency’s review process by aligning the review criteria and strategy with high-risk areas of business and audit priorities that affect port of entry operations nationally.  The new structure will also include a log that records when issues and results are communicated to relevant organizations to ensure that issues are addressed.  The Agency will develop and implement the new review structure by July 2012.

Management Action Plan:

Milestone Dates

Responsible

MAP 1.29

The Operations Branch will develop and implement the new Review Framework.  It will be focused on a limited number of high-risk areas of business linked to Agency priorities, aligned with the Program Management Tables (PMT) and adaptable to changing priorities.  Internal stakeholders, such as PMT leads, will be consulted in the development and will continue to be leveraged as key stakeholders in the process.  Ports of entry will be selected to test the implementation of the new review structure beginning April 2012.

July 2012

(completed)

CBSA VP

Operations

Canada Border Services Agency

1.43 Recommendation:

The Canada Border Services Agency should implement a quality assurance process for its automated target monitoring reports, and develop a means to monitor and report on the effectiveness of border lookouts.

Response:

Agreed.  The Agency will implement an effective quality assurance and monitoring process that will ensure accurate and complete reporting of results of other federal organizations’ targets and border lookouts on a timely basis.  This will allow for timely sharing of information with relevant federal organizations about the effectiveness of the Agency’s actions on their behalf. Given that this process must reflect the business processes being introduced with the Agency’s implementation of a new targeting model, scheduled to begin on 1 April 2012, these measures will be completed by 30 June 2013.

Management Action Plan:

Milestone Dates

Responsible

MAP 1.43.1

Implement an effective quality assurance process for its automated target monitoring reports.  The CBSA has begun an analysis of our current OGD target monitoring reports and quality assurance process.  The analysis will review the current monitoring process, identify any gaps, and outline an action plan for moving forward to address the gaps and develop an effective quality assurance process. It will address such items as:

·         The process by which the information is retrieved from the appropriate areas and systems within the CBSA;

·         The process by which the information is delivered to the OGDs (i.e., monitoring templates);

·         The information contained in the reports (is it fulsome enough to ensure effectiveness of the target?);

·         Methodologies for determining the extensions/expirations of targets, based on monitoring reports and in consultations with the OGDs;

·         The areas of responsibility (i.e., Programs, Operations Branch, OGDs) within the process.

The action plan will include the steps needed to have a quality assurance process that is value-added, for both the CBSA and our OGD partners targeting needs.  This work will be in consultation with Operations Branch—Intelligence and Targeting operations, as well as our OGD partners, to ensure the analysis is fulsome and complete.

MAP 1.43.2

Develop a means to monitor and report on the effectiveness of border lookouts: As described above, the CBSA has begun an analysis of our current OGD target monitoring reports.  The action plan born out of this analysis will include a comprehensive strategy on how the Agency will monitor and report on the effectiveness of our border targets and lookouts.  The action plan will include roles and responsibilities of both Operations and Programs Branches within the CBSA, as well as our OGD partners, to ensure that all parties are engaged and providing the information necessary to support a strong monitoring process.

Implementation of quality assurance process and means to monitor and report on the effectiveness of border targets and lookouts:

Analysis:

March 2013

(completed)

Action plan:

September 2012

(completed)

June 2013

CBSA VP Programs

CBSA VP Programs

CBSA VP Programs