Questions and responses 45th Parliament, 1st session May 26, 2025, to present

With regard to the Canada Border Services Agency: (a) how many detector dog teams are currently in service by the Canada Border Services Agency, and how many are trained specifically to detect fentanyl, methamphetamine, currency, firearms, and ammunition; (b) how frequently have these teams been deployed since January 1, 2020, broken down by region, type of point of entry at which they were deployed and type of item or substance the dog teams were trained to detect; and (c) what is the breakdown of items and substances seized as a result of detector dog teams by year, region and type of border crossing, since January 1, 2020?

With regard to the Canada Border Services Agency: (a) what equipment has been procured for the purpose of securing the nation, including, but not limited to, backscatter x-ray machines, drive-through scanners, radiation detection devices and biometric systems, since January 1, 2020; (b) what x-ray, scanning, radiation detection devices, biometric screening systems and other devices meant to stop items that are not allowed to come into Canada from crossing the border are deployed, in total and broken down by point of entry at which they are deployed; (c) for each type of equipment, what is the quantity deployed at each location and the date of installation; and (d) since January 1, 2020, has any of the equipment gone down, or become inoperable, and, if so, (i) what equipment was inoperable, (ii) where was it located, (iii) how long was it down for?

With regard to the planned budgetary reductions for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada and the Canada Border Services Agency: (a) is Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada moving forward with a Deficit Reduction Action Plan in 2024 and, if so, what it the targeted budget reduction for the Department in percentage and actual dollars broken down by (i) Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada region, (ii) province or territory; (b) what specific programs or services within Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada are projected to experience reductions in funding as part of the Deficit Reduction Action Plan in 2024–25, 2025–26, and 2026–27, broken down by (i) Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada region, (ii) province or territory, (iii) full-time employee reduction; (c) how will the anticipated Deficit Reduction Action Plan affect processing times for applicants, broken down by each immigration stream, including the processing of study permits, work visas and travel visas; (d) what measures will Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada implement to ensure the Deficit Reduction Action Plan does not adversely impact service delivery standards for applicants and stakeholders, including settlement organizations; (e) what workforce adjustments or layoffs, if any, are planned within Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada to accommodate the Deficit Reduction Action Plan, and what impacts are anticipated on staffing levels or full-time employees and employee workloads, broken down by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada region; (f) how does Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada plan to engage with and communicate these changes to key stakeholders, including provinces, territories, settlement agencies and impacted applicants; (g) how much funding has been refocused away from the Canada Border Services Agency and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada in the federal government’s refocused spending initiative, broken down by year in these program areas, (i) border security and enforcement, (ii) customs and trade facilitation, (iii) traveller screening, (iv) citizenship and passport services, (v) refugee resettlement; and (h) what is funding that has been refocused away from Canada Border Services Agency and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada in the federal government’s refocused spending initiative being redirected toward, broken down by year?

With regard to enforcement actions and associated federal funding by the Canada Border Services Agency aimed at intercepting stolen vehicles at Canadian ports and railyards since January 1, 2022: (a) how many stolen vehicles were intercepted and detained by the Canada Border Services Agency in each calendar quarter, broken down by Canada Border Services Agency region; (b) for each quarter, how many interceptions resulted from police referrals versus Canada Border Services Agency-initiated detections; (c) what was the total value of intercepted vehicles at point of seizure, broken down by quarter and region; (d) what total amount has been allocated to the Canada Border Services Agency for vehicle-theft interdiction, including personnel, equipment, scanners, mobile units, training, intelligence stations and related measures, broken down by fiscal year and category of expenditure; (e) how much of the funding allocated in each fiscal year remains unspent, re-allocated or carried forward into subsequent fiscal years; (f) for each equipment or technology purchase, including X-ray container scanners, what are the details of each purchase, including the (i) date, (ii) vendor, (iii) cost, (iv) description of the item, (v) volume, (vi) operation deployment date, (vii) current functionality status; (g) how many inspections have been conducted annually using newly-funded equipment, broken down by equipment type and location; (h) how many full-time equivalent Canada Border Services Agency personnel are dedicated to auto­theft enforcement, disaggregated by fiscal year, and what share of their time is tracked as active deployment versus administrative time or other time; (i) what performance metrics, including interceptions per inspection or seizures per staff-hour, are tracked by the Canada Border Services Agency and reported, whether internally or otherwise, and what are the quarterly results since 2022; (j) how many reports or audits have been conducted internally or otherwise evaluating the efficiency and effectiveness of the Canada Border Services Agency's auto-theft operations, and what remedial actions or findings have been documented; (k) what steps were taken to address operational deficiencies and the issue that the Port of Montreal has only five Canada Border Services Agency agents for container inspection and frequent equipment breakdowns; (l) what accountability measures and ongoing public transparency frameworks are in place to ensure that vehicle-theft enforcement funding delivers measurable increases in seized stolen vehicles versus other expenditures; (m) of the stolen-vehicle interceptions reported in each quarter, how many were based on the Canada Border Services Agency's marine cargo targeting referrals versus rail yard targeting, and what has been the annual "resultant rate" of marine cargo examinations leading to interceptions; (n) what is the current status of the e-Manifest replacement and National Targeting Centre transformation initiatives intended to automate risk targeting, including project milestones, timelines and delays, and when this technology will reach operational readiness at enforcement sites such as Montreal and Toronto; and (o) what percentage of the Canada Border Services Agency's auto-theft funding allocated in the 2024 Estimates has been spent, and how much remains unspent or carried forward as of the most recent fiscal quarter?

With regard to the Canada Border Services Agency, broken down by year since January 1, 2018, including the current year to date: (a) how many commercial (i) trains, (ii) train cars, crossed into Canada, in total, and broken down by point of entry for each year; (b) how many of the (i) trains, (ii) train cars, in (a) were physically inspected by the Canada Border Services Agency; (c) how many of the inspected (i) trains, (ii) train cars, contained illegal items; and (d) what is the breakdown of illegal items seized from train cars, including the description and the volume of each item seized?

With regard to the government's commitment to hire 1,000 more Canada Border Services Agency personnel: (a) how many of the 1,000 are planned to be for border management; (b) how many of the 1,000 are planned to be for border enforcement; and (c) how many of the 1,000 are planned to be for internal services?

With regard to the Canada Border Services Agency and the administration and implementation of sanctions under the United Nations Act, the Special Economic Measures Act, and the Justice for Victims of Corrupt Foreign Officials Act: what is the current number of employees doing sanctions-related work (i) full-time, (ii) part-time, broken down by import and export context?

With regard to Canada's announcement that the Canada Border Services Agency will hire over 1000 new and additional Canada Border Services Agency personnel: (a) as of June 15, 2025, how many of the new 1000 personnel that will be hired have been hired and are operational; (b) by what date will the government reach its target of hiring 1000 additional Canada Border Services Agency personnel; (c) by what date will all 1000 new Canada Border Services Agency personnel be functionally operational; (d) as of June 15, 2025, how many full-time equivalent positions within the Canada Border Services Agency are unfilled, broken down by (i) Canada Border Services Agency region, (ii) Canada Border Services Agency department or branch; and (e) of the 1000 new Canada Border Services Agency personnel that will be hired, how many does the government currently expect will be assigned to Canada Border Services Agency headquarters, broken down by headquarters branch, including the (i) president's office, (ii) Canada Border Services Agency Assessment and Revenue Management's Internal Task Force, (iii) Commercial and Trade Branch, (iv) Communications, Parliamentary and Public Affairs Branch, (v) Finance and Corporate Management Branch, (vi) Human Resources Branch, (vii) Information, Science and Technology Branch, (viii) Intelligence and Enforcement Branch, (ix) Internal Audit and Program Evaluation Directorate, (x) Legal Services, Recourse, Standards and Program Integrity Branch, (xi) Strategic Policy Branch, (xii) Travellers Branch?

With regard to recruitment by the Canada Border Services Agency and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police: (a) how many new officers were recruited by the (i) Canada Border Services Agency, (ii) Royal Canadian Mounted Police, broken down by each month since January 1, 2023; and (b) how many officers retired or left the (i) Canada Border Services Agency, (ii) Royal Canadian Mounted Police, broken down by each month since January 1, 2023?

With regard to the removal of persons by the Canada Border Services Agency, since January 1, 2016: (a) how many persons subject to removal have departed or been removed from Canada, broken down by year; (b) what is the number of 'high-priority foreign nationals' subject to removal orders on grounds of serious inadmissibility, broken down by year and relevant Immigration and Refugee Protection Act section on inadmissibility; (c) of those in (b), how many were actually removed from Canada, broken down by year and relevant Immigration and Refugee Protection Act section on inadmissibility; (d) how many persons who are subject to removal orders on grounds of serious inadmissibility have not yet been removed, broken down by year, reason for non-removal, and relevant Immigration and Refugee Protection Act section on inadmissibility; and (e) regarding those in (d), how does the Canada Border Services Agency plan to find and remove these persons from Canada?

With regard to the Canada Border Services Agency's Courier Low Value Shipment Program and the implementation of the E‑commerce Low Value Inspection System: (a) what is the status of the E‑commerce Low Value Inspection System platform, including whether it is still operating in a pilot phase; (b) what is the original planned implementation date for full E‑commerce Low Value Inspection System deployment, and on what date did the department first become aware that this target would not be met; (c) how many days, months or years behind schedule is the project as of June 15, 2025; (d) what are the updated timelines for full deployment and stabilization of the E‑commerce Low Value Inspection System platform; (e) how much has the department spent to date on the E‑commerce Low Value Inspection System project, broken down by (i) the contractor or vendor name, (ii) the amount paid, (iii) the description of services rendered, (iv) the contract start and end dates, (v) whether each deliverable has been met; (f) how much has been paid to GC Strategies for work related to the E‑commerce Low Value Inspection System, broken down by fiscal year; (g) what are the specific roles, deliverables and responsibilities assigned to GC Strategies in relation to the E‑commerce Low Value Inspection System, and have any of these deliverables been completed, delayed or deemed deficient; (h) has the Canada Border Services Agency issued any penalties to, or sought clawbacks from, GC Strategies in connection with the E‑commerce Low Value Inspection System project; (i) have any internal investigations, reviews or audits been launched regarding the performance of GC Strategies or the delays associated with the E‑commerce Low Value Inspection System, and, if so, (i) how many, (ii) what are their findings, (iii) what disciplinary or remedial measures have been recommended or taken; and (j) on what date or prospective date will the current Canada Border Services Agency moratorium on new entrants to the Courier Low Value Shipment program be lifted?

With regard to the Northwest Regional Airport Terrace-Kitimat’s request to the Canada Border Services Agency to be designated as an Airport of Entry: (a) what is the current status of this request; (b) when will the Canada Border Services Agency make a decision regarding the request; (c) has the Canada Border Services Agency, Pacific Economic Development Canada, or Destination Canada conducted any studies related to the benefits of designating the airport an Airport of Entry, and, if so, what were the results; and (d) what is the Canada Border Services Agency’s rationale for not yet designating the airport as an Airport of Entry?