[Translation]
First of all, I would like to thank the committee for this opportunity to speak on the Canada-United States Cross-Border Crime Forum.
With your indulgence, I will take a few minutes to provide an overview of the Canada-United States Cross-Border Crime Forum, or CBCF, its mandate and evolution to date. I will also discuss briefly an overview of its past and current work.
The CBCF, which was created in 1997, serves to advance bilateral cooperation in the areas of law enforcement, criminal justice and intelligence issues. Strengthening the ties between our two countries on these issues is extremely important, not only in terms of enhancing domestic public safety, but also regional and international security.
Through the CBCF, we have built strong partnerships and increased awareness of Canadian and U.S. justice and law enforcement systems across the border. In short, the CBCF helps advance Canada-U.S. cooperation on the entire spectrum of cross-border crime issues and encourages effective coordination between law enforcement and justice communities across the border. It facilitates the resolution of impediments to effective law enforcement and prosecution of cross-border crimes. As part of this work, a number of CBCF subgroups study national and binational issues that help advance the fight against cross-border criminality.
In order to further cross-border law enforcement cooperation, the CBCF Ministerial Forum brings together over 120 senior law enforcement and justice officials from participating organizations in Canada and the U.S. The Minister of Public Safety co-chairs the CBCF, along with the Canadian Minister of Justice and the U.S. Attorney General. CBCF subgroups meet continually and work on an ongoing basis throughout the year leading up to what is delivered and presented at the Ministerial Forum.
[English]
The mandate for the CBCF, the Cross-Border Crime Forum, is to serve as a forum in which Canadian and United States law enforcement and justice officials from the federal, state, provincial, territorial, and municipal governments can identify major issues and national policy priorities related to transnational crime and terrorism.
With respect to the evolution of the CBCF, the first forum held in Ottawa, in 1997, was organized to discuss the issues of cigarette smuggling, which was a concern on the Canadian side of the border at the time, and mass marketing fraud, which was a particular concern on the U.S. side of the border. At this early stage, the forum was essentially an exchange of names and phone numbers so that officials would know who to talk to in the other country.
After September 11, 2001, however, the Canada-U.S. Smart Border Declaration renewed our countries' joint commitment to enhancing cooperation on border management. As a result, the Cross-Border Crime Forum benefited from a high level of activity and increased attention on both sides of the border.
Since its inception, the forum has expanded to address broader law enforcement and national security issues, including illicit drugs, counter-terrorism, identity theft, firearms trafficking, mass marketing fraud, human trafficking, and transnational organized crime, to name a few.
The forum, despite its broader scope, continues to focus on developing best practices and concrete tools to resolve operational, policy, and legal challenges that may hinder the ability of law enforcement and justice officials to reduce cross-border crime.
Ongoing collaboration has helped us to forge countless working relationships across the border and to strengthen the relationships between organizations in both countries. It's important to note that the CBCF also provides an opportunity for the Canadian ministers of public safety and justice and the U.S. Attorney General to offer direction and guidance for future efforts of the working groups. In this sense, the annual ministerial meeting is the culmination of the Cross-Border Crime Forum's ongoing activities throughout the year.
The agenda for each ministerial forum is developed jointly by Canada and the U.S., and is designed to address ongoing initiatives and emerging challenges in cross-border criminality.
The forum has served as a useful vehicle to undertake several intelligence-based initiatives, such as joint threat assessments on drugs, firearms trafficking, migrant smuggling, organized crime groups, and joint action plans to address shared concerns. Some of the more notable discussions that have taken place within the CBCF relate to operations of integrated border enforcement teams, which you will hear about from my colleagues in a few minutes.
Last March, Canada hosted the tenth CBCF in Quebec City. Some of the main deliverables coming out of that CBCF included “United States-Canada Border Drug Threat Assessment 2007”, “Canada-United States IBET Threat Assessment 2007”, and a five-year Canada-U.S. report on mass marketing fraud, as well as a public advisory on counterfeit cheques.
Turning to our current work plan, the next CBCF is scheduled for the fall of 2009 in the U.S., with a date and location yet to be determined. We're at the very early planning stages for that next meeting.
The CBCF, as mentioned, is driven by the work plans of several subgroups, including the border enforcement subgroup, which is currently working on establishing new radio interoperability pilot projects, and finalizing the integrated maritime cross-border law enforcement operations framework agreement, commonly known as “Shiprider”.
The counter-terrorism subgroup is exploring personnel exchanges and other means of enhancing cooperation between the RCMP and FBI, as well as joint investigations on terrorism financing.
The drugs and organized crime working group is exploring RCMP participation in the U.S.-led joint inter-agency task force in Asia west, and is considering developing a threat assessment model that utilizes current threat assessments from the RCMP, DEA, and FBI to more effectively address operational needs and ensure efficiencies between agencies, as well as analyzing emerging technologies and challenges to law enforcement.
The firearms trafficking group is working on implementing the real-time exchange of forensic ballistic data and updating the 2006 cross-border firearms trafficking overview.
The mass marketing fraud working group continues to work on the joint targeting of top echelon criminal organizations, based on recent threat assessments, and identifying new areas for future public advisories.
Finally, the prosecution subgroup is working on developing guides to assist and facilitate extradition requests, MLATs, and access to information required for prosecutions related to cross-border crime.
[Translation]
In conclusion, the CBCF is a testament to the continued strong and collaborative relationship that augments the safety and security of our citizens. As new and innovative cross-border law enforcement and justice initiatives advance through the CBCF, they help combat transnational crime along our shared border.
While the CBCF does not replace bilateral mechanisms that are in place, it does provide a meaningful forum in which a broad spectrum of issues can be brought to the forefront.
Thank you, Mr. Chair, for this opportunity to appear before you today. Of course, I will be happy to stay and answer your questions.
:
Thank you, Mr. Chair, Honourable Members. I am very honoured to be appearing before you today.
[English]
The RCMP's Federal and International Operations Directorate, or FIO, works to ensure the safety and security of Canadians and their institutions, both domestically and globally. This is achieved through intelligence-based prevention, detection, investigation, and law enforcement measures aimed at terrorists, organized criminals, and other criminal elements.
Border integrity falls under FIO and encompasses branches with expertise in investigating cross-border criminality and identifying threats to Canada's national security along the shared land border, and at major air and marine entry points.
The integrated border enforcement teams, or IBETs, are an important component of the RCMP's border integrity strategy. I welcome this opportunity to talk to you about their concept and some of their successes.
Fifteen IBET regions have been created since the signing of the smart border declaration, with integrated units implemented in 24 locations along the shared border between Canada and the United States. The five core IBET agencies are the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Canada Border Services Agency, U.S. Customs and Border Protection/Border Patrol, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, as well as the U.S. Coast Guard.
[Translation]
The IBET concept is based on intelligence-led policing, coordinated information sharing and identification, investigation and interdiction of persons or organizations posing a threat to national security or engaged in other organized criminal activity. It encourages the involvement of municipal, provincial, state, federal and First Nations law enforcement agencies, other stakeholder agencies and related government departments.
[English]
I would like, if I may, to spend a few minutes explaining why the IBET is crucial to border security, the benefits of this arrangement, and the way forward.
Sophisticated criminal organizations exploit vulnerabilities in border demographics, geography, and enforcement patterns to smuggle people and commodities—such as narcotics, currency, firearms, and contraband tobacco—between Canada and the United States. Such criminality is adaptive and ever-expanding, compromising the integrity of our border and posing a real threat to the security of both nations.
On many occasions we have seen the innovation and flexibility of organized crime groups. They respond rapidly to enhanced enforcement pressures, resorting to smuggling by air or even building tunnels when faced with difficulties crossing the land borders. This puts a tremendous amount of stress on our resources as we try to anticipate their next move and respond accordingly. It emphasizes the need for law enforcement and public safety agencies to also find new ways of doing business. Simply patrolling the border hoping for a chance encounter with criminal activity is not an effective use of government's finite resources.
Several years ago the RCMP patrolled specific parts of the border. Over time it became clear that criminal organizations knew exactly how to avoid detection by such patrols and their effectiveness became questionable. As a result, we have become more intelligence-led, developed solid partnerships at home and abroad, and found better ways to share information.
The strong relationship between Canada and the U.S. makes the issues at our shared border unique. One of the greatest challenges we face is how to increase security without impeding trade. This reality directs the need for a layered approach to law enforcement efforts, as the border is much more than a line in the sand; it is a continuum.
Success in maintaining Canada's border integrity requires a multi-faceted approach to border enforcement—international, in transit, port points of entry, and inland. Border security must employ a seamless, integrated, multi-layered, and balanced approach to best protect our citizens and target the real threats.
When I say a balanced approach, I mean in addition to border enforcers we also need law enforcement agencies on both sides of the border partnering and working very closely together on the same goal, disruption of criminal activity.
The IBET model brings to bear the resources and authorities of a binational, multidisciplinary team with a full range of police, customs, immigration, and regulatory powers to support public safety and national security, not just customs and immigration authorities. Of course front-line law enforcement officers have been working together on joint operations for decades. IBET, however, is a formal relationship endorsed by both the Canadian and American governments.
The core IBET agencies are dedicated to building and maintaining strong relationships, sharing information, meeting to discuss problems, and sharing best practices and threat assessments. IBET has succeeded in opening the lines of communication among law enforcement agencies in our two countries.
All five core agencies have jointly developed and agreed to an IBET charter, a foundation document that provides authority from all signatories to ensure cooperation and deliver the mandate of the smart border declaration, to improve information sharing and cross-border enforcement for border security.
IBET is a functional, totally integrated program, with an appropriate governance structure in place to reflect the partnerships. This structure consists of an international joint management team, IJMT; international coordination team, ICT; and joint management teams, JMTs. I apologize for all the acronyms.
The IJMT consists of one official from each of the core partner agencies to represent their organization by providing general direction to the IBET program. The IJMT identifies common concerns, issues, challenges, and best practices within IBET regions and provides guidance and direction to the joint management teams. The IJMT ensures that particular attention is focused on the coordination and development of communication, standardized reporting, training, intelligence, and border awareness.
The ICT, or international coordination team, is co-located at RCMP headquarters here in Ottawa. It consists of one official from each of the core agencies, who provide day-to-day advice and assistance to IBET and joint management teams on behalf of the international joint management team.
At the local level, joint management teams have been established in each IBET region, consisting of at least one official from each of the core partner agencies and any local law enforcement agency with an interest in the integrity of the Canada-U.S. border. The joint management teams hold regular meetings to identify investigative priorities and ensure the development of both internal communication mechanisms and annual threat assessments. Regular intelligence reports are shared and joint investigations are directed.
Now, organized crime is not static at the border. Conspiracies occur in and between major Canadian and U.S. cities. The joint management teams are critical to effective border enforcement, as they facilitate the required dialogue with inland enforcement entities and coordinate appropriate responses.
Another very important component of the IBET model involves the co-location of intelligence resources in the field to facilitate the exchange of law enforcement information on criminal activities observed or interdicted at the shared border. These co-located intelligence teams jointly develop the intelligence products that are so important in implementing focused enforcement operations on the criminal organizations that are taking advantage of gaps in the security of the border between the ports of entry.
The IBET threat assessment working group jointly prepares an annual Canada-United States IBET threat assessment. This provides law enforcement with an overview of the various land and marine threats that IBET units have encountered along the border between the ports of entry.
[Translation]
Since their inception, IBET units have identified national security cases, disrupted smuggling rings, confiscated drugs, weapons, tobacco, and intercepted criminal networks attempting to smuggle illegal migrants. They are disrupting larger and more sophisticated criminal operations. An example is Operation Julien/Aorte. An organized crime group operating out of Montreal was overseeing smuggling operations occurring across the Maine/New Brunswick border, approximately 600 kilometres from Montreal.
Several IBET partners, including the DEA and the Quebec Provincial Police, have been involved in intelligence gathering. There have been 29 arrests. Seized contraband included: 26,500 marijuana plants, 880 lbs of marijuana, 3 kg of cocaine, 25,000 methamphetamine pills, 1,168 cartons of contraband cigarettes, 29 handguns, cash in the amounts of $186,000 US, $266,000 CDN, and an estimated $3 million in assets. It should also be made clear that IBET does not work alone. IBET units work closely with local and provincial law enforcement, with RCMP resources and the resources of our partner IBET agencies.
[English]
In closing, I would like to emphasize that maintaining public safety, safeguarding Canada's international borders, and combatting organized crime are inextricably linked. Our border security solution must be both tailored to address specific vulnerabilities along a diverse border and flexible enough to respond to the ever-evolving criminality. The IBET initiative is a critical component of that solution, and has been internationally recognized as a best practice.
Over the past several years, the Government of Canada has reiterated its commitment to ensuring the safety and security of Canadians and to working with the United States to protect the safety and integrity of our shared border. This commitment has been declared in speeches from the throne and in international policy statements.
The IBET initiative has made remarkable progress in strengthening our binational partnerships. We've seen significant improvement in our ability to share information, coordinate investigations, and enforce the laws in support of our shared mandate to enhance border security.
The IBET partners are all keenly aware that we must improve on the existing foundation to ensure the sustainability of this important bilateral initiative. We continue to examine opportunities for improvements. These include advancing and investing in interoperable border technology; increasing the number of IBET partners and resources on both sides of the line; working together to improve border integrity; creating an intelligence-led, uniformed presence between the ports of entry; eliminating barriers to effective border enforcement; and ensuring the timely exchange of border-related information with all inland enforcement partners.
I'd like to thank you for inviting us here today. We would now be pleased to answer any questions you may have.