Parliamentary Committee Notes: Supplementary Estimates (C), 2023-2024 – CBSA Funding

Issue:

Supplementary Estimates (C) 2023-2024 include $26.8M in funding to modernize travel at Canadian borders and $16.9M in funding to strengthen frontline capacity. Members may ask if some of these funds will be allotted to ArriveCAN.

Proposed Response

On Traveller Modernization

• Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) is receiving $26.8 million in the 2023-2024 Supplementary Estimate (C) to fund the Traveller Modernization initiative.
• Through this initiative, Travellers will benefit from optional digital tools to share information in advance of their arrival.
• Border Service Officers will be better equipped with modern tools to not only inform their decisions, but to also allow them to focus on higher risk and higher value activities as demands at the border increase.

On Strengthening the Frontline

• CBSA is receiving $16.9M in additional funding in the 2023-2024 Supplementary Estimate (C) to support the strengthening of the frontline, which will increase the complement of Border Services Officers and employees delivering the Recourse program.
• As traveller volumes return to pre-pandemic levels and with the continued growth in Commercial volumes, this funding will help manage CBSA’s pressures at the frontline by increasing the number of border service officers at the border.
• The Recourse program deals directly with the business community and cross-border travellers providing an accessible mechanism to seek an impartial review of CBSA’s decisions on the various programs it administers.

Background

On Traveller Modernization

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.

*Numbers may differ due to rounding

Explanation of Funding for 2023-2024

In 2023-2024 the CBSA requested $26.8 million of funding through the Supplementary Estimates (C). 

Supplementary Estimates - $26.8 million

• $17.3 million under Vote 1 – Salary
• $9.4 million under Vote 1 – Operating
• $0.1 million under Vote 5 – Operating

On Strengthening the Front Line

Strengthening the Front Line will increase the complement of Border Services Officers (BSOs) and employees delivering the Recourse Program. These new resources are required to manage CBSA frontline pressures driven by commercial and traveller volumes returning to pre-pandemic levels and beyond. 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 to serve 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 the business community and cross-border travellers providing 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 have returned to their pre-pandemic levels and there is continued growth in Commercial volumes, especially in the marine 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, based on volumes, current staff complements and overtime costs analysis.

Explanation of Funding for 2023-2024

In 2023-2024 the CBSA requested $17.0 million of funding through the Supplementary Estimates (C). 

Supplementary Estimates - $17.0 million

• $12.3 million under Vote 1 – Salary
• $4.7 million under Vote 1 – Operating

*Numbers may differ due to rounding

Date modified:

2024-08-07