28 September 2007

Minister Day comments on the U.S. Senate Finance Committee report on border security

The following is the 27 September 2007 news realease issued by Public Safety Canada.

The Honourable Stockwell Day, Minister of Public Safety, issued the following statement today in response to the release of the U.S. Senate Finance Committee report on security at the border.

“The Government of Canada is committed to a safe, secure and efficient border. This is vital to Canada’s economy and to the safety and security of all Canadians.

We are concerned with the situation. First, let’s be clear: Canada is not responsible for the processes in place for entry into the U.S., which is the focus of the report.

However, our government is always looking at ways to increase security at the border in general. In only 19 months, our government has made significant investments to beef up security at our border by: 

- Investing $430 million in border infrastructure and security upgrades; 
- Arming our border officers and hiring 400 new officers to eliminate dangerous "work-alone" situations; 
- Beginning to add 1,000 new RCMP personnel to address federal policing priorities such as fighting drugs, smuggling and enhancing border security; and 
- Investing $19.5 million in RCMP Integrated Border Enforcement Teams (IBETS), strategically located along the border to disrupt cross-border smuggling.

GoC is also committed to enforcing removal orders against those persons who are inadmissible to Canada, including serious criminals, those who pose threats to national security and other people who do not comply with the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.

Canada is not immune to the threat of terrorism. Our government has been working in close cooperation with the United States, and will continue to do so to ensure that our shared border is closed to terrorists but open for legitimate trade and travel.”