REPORT OF FACT-FINDING VISIT: 19-22 NOVEMBER 2001 VANCOUVER, VICTORIA AND WINNIPEG
The Standing Senate Committee on National Security and Defence
November
19 - 22, 2001
NOTES:
TESTIMONY HEARD IN
VANCOUVER, VICTORIA AND WINNIPEG
19
NOVEMBER 2001: MARITIME FORCES PACIFIC (MARPAC)
In his opening remarks Rear Admiral Fraser said that his principal task
as the Commander of Maritime Forces Pacific was to prepare ships and men to
participate in the war on terrorism. For
this reason the Esquimalt base and the ships were under very high security as
they prepared for the next deployment. A major step in the deployment was to screen about 700
officers and men to ensure that their training, mental and physical condition as
well as family circumstances would meet the requirements for deployment abroad.
Captain (Navy) Harrison outlined the mission and capabilities of Maritime
Forces Pacific and its 4,000 military and 2,000 civilian personnel.
Their mission is first, to generate, employ, maintain and sustain
balanced, combat capable, multi-purpose maritime forces and second, to provide
Search and Rescue service in the Victoria Search and Rescue Region.
1.
The core of the multi-purpose forces consists of a naval task group of up
to three combat ships and a replenishment ship, supported as necessary by
maritime air support and/or a submarine, capable of being deployed anywhere in
the world.
§
The task
group would be drawn from a force of 5 Halifax Class frigates, one Iroquois
class destroyer, and one Protecteur class replenishment ship.
In late 2002, a Victoria class submarine is expected to join the fleet.
§
1 Canadian
Air Division allocates 6 Sea King helicopters and 5 maritime patrol craft
(Auroras) to support of the Maritime Forces Pacific. The helicopters can fly off the decks of the destroyer and
frigates.
2.
With these resources Maritime Forces Pacific carries out a number of
roles and operations, including
§
surveillance
drawing on its own naval and air resources (the Aurora aircraft can only afford
2-3 patrols a week) as well as reports from the U.S., civilian ships and
aircraft, remote sensing, etc.
§
Support to
other government departments (30 ship days to Fisheries and Oceans, 60 ship
days, 25 Sea King and 800 Aurora hours to the R.C.M.P. as well as support to
Immigration and to Customs).
§
Asia-Pacific
Engagement: even year deployments to the North Pacific, odd year, to the South
Pacific and /or South East Asia. Deployment
in support of UN sanctions against Iraq, peacekeeping in East Timor and the war
on terrorism.
§
Naval
diplomacy. Visits by naval ships
are used to develop diplomatic and trade as well as military relations.
§
Search and
rescue
3.
Although the Victoria Search and Rescue Region, which includes British
Columbia and its coast and off shore as well as the Yukon, is the smallest of
the three (the others being Trenton and Halifax) in terms of physical size, it
generates the largest number of missions and twice as many of the most serious
missions (about 850 Category 1 missions, the most threatening to life, as
opposed to about 400 cases for each of the other regions). Available for search and rescue are the following forces:
Maritime:
§
Canadian
Coast Guard Ships and Auxiliary
§
Ships of
Maritime Forces Pacific
§
U.S. Coast
Guard
§
Vessels of
Opportunity
Air:
§
442
Transport and Rescue Squadron with 3 Labrador helicopters and 6 Buffalo aircraft
§
Civilian air
search and rescue volunteers
§
U.S. Coast
Guard
§
Aircraft of
opportunity
Questions
- Current
deployment to Arabian Sea expected to be for six months, but may be longer
for some ships. Muslims/Pakistanis
would be included if they formed part of the ships’ complement.
- Search
and Rescue Cormorants: the two already in Canada should be operational
sometime in 2002. Reason for
delays in delivery: there is a problem with the contractor about incomplete
maintenance documentation.
- Interoperability.
Canadian ships are can be integrated into a US Battle Group and
frequently participate in joint exercises and missions.
They are controlled by the Commander of Battle Group within the rules
of engagement established by the Canadian government.
The Commander assigns missions based on capabilities of Canadian
ships and the parameters set by the government.
Only Ottawa HQ can amend permissible missions, rules of engagement.
- Not
all ships have their full complement of officers and men.
The ranks of junior officers are particularly thin; some technical
trades are very short-staffed.
- The
current recruiting drive is going well, attracting potential officers; the
signing bonus of $10,000-$20,000 is attracting the interest of technicians.
Traditionally, very few Asians respond to recruiting drives, but
there is no specific plan to recruit them either.
- While
women are increasingly common shipboard and serve as junior officers, no
woman is in command of a ship – it takes about 22 years to train an
officer for promotion to Captain in the Navy.
- Search
and rescue at sea is very expensive but unlike land missions, no effort is
made to recover costs from those whose reckless behaviour has got them into
trouble.
- When
the Navy aids other government departments, it offers the ships and/or
aircraft, crews and training to board and take control of a ship from the
sea or air, but its officers have no powers of arrest.
Operations tend to be complex. They
might start as a search and rescue mission and later involve immigration
(migrants) or the R.C.M.P. (drugs).
The Committee toured HMCS Algonquin and was briefed on the combat capability of a task group.
Command and Control of the Task Group is exercised by the Commander and a
staff of about 31 on board the destroyer Iroquois which has a complement of 280.
The Commander and staff must plan on a world-wide basis and integrate the
work of the destroyer, two frigates and a replenishment ship plus the
helicopters and possibly a submarine.
Air
War: the Task Group is equipped with radar and
missiles capable of engaging aircraft at a range of up to 80 Km.
Electronic
War: the Task Group is equipped to locate enemy vessels
and aircraft, to jam their electronic systems, and to mislead and draw off their
missiles;
Anti-Surface
War: the deck
gun has a range of about 8 Km while the Harpoon missile has a range of about 70
Km.
Anti-submarine
War: the Task
Force is equipped both to work with and to hunt submarines with a combination of
sonar locators and torpedoes.
Sea King helicopters and the Auroras act as the eyes of the Task Group
extending its defensive zone and allowing it to engage targets far beyond its
normal range.
The Task Group also plays an important diplomatic role and a role in the
environmental policing of the oceans.
Since the Navy is short about 1,000 officers and men, its personnel must spend more time at sea- 60% at sea and 40% on land - than other NATO Navies which split their time 50%-50%.
Questions
- The
ships of the Task Group are designed to resist Nuclear, bacteriological and
chemical warfare
- The
Navy has a one-in-three-system of deployment, one deployed, one preparing
for deployment, and one being outfitted.
As a result, a ship’s crew are not supposed to deploy in the year
following their return.
- The
Navy only budgets for enough fuel for 60 sea days a year, other NATO
countries spend 125 days at sea. Next
year, however, it might spend as much as 240 days at sea.
- Only
60 % of the fleet can be kept at the highest level of readiness.
The Navy has implemented the Total Force concept, expecting the same standards, expectations, level of leadership and professionalism from Reservists and Regulars alike.
Questions
- Three
levels of Reserve pay: Class A for those serving an evening a week and the
occasional week-end; Class B, manning coastal vessels on contract; Class C,
on full-time call out doing the job of a regular.
In April 2002, deployability will distinguish between Classes B and
C. Those who are deployable
will receive 100% of the Regular pay, as opposed to 85%.
- There
are two reasons for delays in taking on Reservists: if the applicant has a
criminal record and where the applicant has previous service and the records
must be searched before an offer is made.
Cutbacks have reduced the staff available to search records.
- Generally
Captain Pile, like other officers, is opposed to US style legislation
governing Reservists: major employers will give time off, even “top up”
Naval pay, but smaller employers might be disinclined to hire Reservists if
they had to hold the job open.
- Major
problems: shortage of staff – could only man 5 of the 6 vessels; training;
lack of at sea time for training. Most
at sea days are allocated to training officers.
QUALITY
OF LIFE
The recent pay increases and the adoption of an allowance for Post Living
Differentials have done a lot to improve morale.
The tempo of Operations is now the major source of complaint instead of
pay and allowances. It is having an
impact on morale, stress (individual and family), physical health and group
cohesiveness. The 60%-40%
time-on-ship to time-on-shore shore ratio does not apply to navy reservists who
spend much more of their time at sea.
Generally speaking, the Reservists spoken to had high praise for their
training and for life in the Navy. Newcomers
found family housing very expensive.
Visit to 443
Squadron, Esquimalt
443 Squadron is supposed to have 6 Sea King helicopters to support
Maritime Forces Pacific, but one is unavailable.
§
The mission
of 443 Squadron is to provide a “helidet” or helicopter detachment to each
high readiness ship. On the West Coast there are therefore three helicopter
detachments each consisting of a serviceable helicopter, two crews of 4
personnel, and 11 maintenance personnel.
§
Because
of its age and the way its electronics were designed and installed, the Sea King
requires 30 hours of maintenance for every hour of flight.
407 Squadron,
Comox
The Committee was briefed about the responsibilities of Squadron 407
which operates Aurora Maritime Patrol Aircraft out of Comox, B.C.
The Aurora aircraft are being upgraded one-at-a-time, a project which
will give them state-of-the-art electronics and which should be finished by the
end of the decade.
§
Aircrew,
not contract workers, are responsible for maintaining the Auroras.
This is considered more effective and efficient and is also good for
morale.
§
The Auroras
fly surveillance patrols lasting for 6-8 hours to counter smuggling of
contraband, to monitor shipping for compliance with environmental regulations,
and to report the location of driftnets and their mother ship.
§
The Auroras
are also responsible for Northern Patrols, but the frequency of these patrols
has been reduced to save money.
§
The Auroras
play an essential role in Search and
Rescue missions because of their ability to search vast expanses of ocean.
Questions
- To
ensure the interoperability of aircraft and crews – their ability to work
with allies –some training has to be conducted in other locations.
- Because
of budgetary restrictions, the pilots of the Auroras fly only 400 hours a
year, close to the minimum number of hours necessary to maintain their
competence and confidence.
- The
shortage of airworthy helicopters limits pilots to 300 hours flying at sea
and 150 hours on shore.
TUESDAY 20 NOVEMBER 2001
Brian Bramah, Regional Director, Security and Emergency Preparedness, Transport Canada, outlined the provisions of the Maritime Transportation Security Act which governed operation of cruise ships with 100 and more berths. At Vancouver Port there were memoranda of understanding with the Port Authority and cruise lines governing:
§
establishment
and composition of a security committee;
§
security
training;
§
the exchange
of information.
Chris Badger, Vice-President of Operations, Vancouver Port Authority
outlined the importance of the Port of Vancouver, the largest in Canada and one
of the largest in North America, and the mission of the Vancouver Port Authority
which was only established in March of 1999.
Unlike the Port of Montreal, for example, which has a continuous
waterfront, the Port of Vancouver has separate locations for terminals handling
bulk or loose cargo, Cruise Lines, container ships, etc. While responsibility for policing the Port of Vancouver is
divided between a number of police jurisdictions, the Vancouver City Police is
the most important.
The Port Authority has relatively little responsibility for security in the Port. It operates a system of closed circuit television cameras which monitor the various parts of the Port 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It has acquired a mobile scanner that can produce an image of the contents of a 40 foot container in about 40 seconds, hence it is possible in theory to screen 100% of the containers moving through the Port. The Port Authority also pays $250,000 a year for increased security patrols around the perimeters of the Port.
Questions
- The
cruise lines are responsible for screening all the passengers and baggage
boarding their vessels.
- The
Port Authority has established a small intelligence unit to co-ordinate the
work of the 8 municipal police forces with jurisdiction over Port territory.
There is general satisfaction with the status quo which is considered
an improvement over the Port Police because there are more officers on
patrol and because they have a mandate beyond Port property.
- The
Port Authority claims not to have any knowledge about the activities of
organized crime in the Port. (Customs
officials report tactics of intimidation as they inspect containers and say
that the Hell’s Angels is the dominant criminal influence within the
Port.) This is the
responsibility of the provincial Organized Crime Agency.
- The
Port Authority subjects its employees to security screening, but it hires
only 121 of the 27,000 persons working on Port property.
Companies which lease Port property are free to screen or not screen
as they choose. In conjunction with the private companies the Port
Authority is trying to develop an identification card system common to all
port employees.
- The
British Columbia Marine Employers Association hires and trains dock workers,
but workers are dispatched to their assignments through a hiring hall.
POLICING
ARRANGEMENTS – PORT OF VANCOUVER
Policing
arrangements in the Port were also discussed with Deputy Chief John Unger of the
Vancouver City Police and Inspector Doug Kilo, Major Case Manager, E Division
Criminal Operations, R.C.M.P.
They discussed with the Committee the public interest in policing private
property and the problems that arose. There
is an agreement with the Attorney-General of British Columbia to cover police
activities on Port property, but compensation for the policing is a sore point
with local municipalities.
A large number of municipalities are involved in policing Port property, not to mention the involvement of provincial and federal police forces, departments and agencies, and private security companies. Consequently, there is seldom a clear division of responsibility. Nevertheless, the police officers were satisfied that policing was co-operative and effective through:
§
the
formation of waterfront teams combining the various police forces and agencies,
each of which contributed sources of information and intelligence to the
combined effort;
§
the private
security company responsible for closed circuit monitoring of Port property
functioned as the eyes and ears of the teams;
§
modern
communications helped to unite the various forces and agencies involved in Port
security.
An Intelligence Analyst from the British Columbia Organized Crime Unit
noted that all the elements of traditional organized crime were involved in the
Port, as well as the more modern Asian Triads, Russian Gangsters, and
Narco-Terrorists, etc.
The range of criminal activity was much the same as in the Port of
Montreal. Motorcycle gangs are very
active and visible, linking criminal activities in the eastern and western
ports. The various elements of
organized crime tended to have specialities, but they all participated in the
import/export of illegal drugs as the most common and lucrative activity.
In addition, Asian and Russian gangs exported stolen luxury cars; the
Russian gangs were also active among chandlers; and Mexican and Columbian gangs
were involved in narco-terrorism.
In conclusion, the witnesses noted that federal and provincial expenditures on controlling organized crime were completely inadequate in terms of the proceeds of crime – the $4 million the governments spend represents a minute fraction of one percent of the proceeds of crime.
Questions
The Vancouver police are very satisfied with the co-operation they get
from the Port Authority and the private companies who lease the terminals, as
well as with the provincial and federal agencies involved. They not only patrol, but undercover officers also circulate,
and the private security officers call in the detachment to investigate anything
suspicious.
The responsible police officers decide the issue of who is responsible
for security on a task-by-task basis – that is, the nature of the crime and
the nature of the security operation determines the lead agency.
The insistence that the Ports Authorities established by the legislation act on a strict commercial basis may impede public security:
- the
systematic checking of containers and cargo causes delay and irritates
importers and exporters alike;
- all
parties have a financial interest in expediting traffic; security is
expensive and time-consuming.
There was no agreement that making one authority responsible for Port security across Canada would be an improvement:
- about
5 federal departments have to enforce laws or regulations in the Ports;
- each
Port is different and the one-police-force-fits-all model is not
appropriate;
- the
different viewpoints of the various forces and agencies are both valuable
and valid, and are worth the extra hassle involved in co-ordinating their
work;
- must
have three level policing to match the interests of the three levels of
government in the Port; the Joint Forces model draws in those
operations/individuals with expertise or an interest in an issue and the
waterfront teams include representatives from all the police forces.
Asked about legislative issues, the witnesses noted that in the United States, access to the docks was controlled by Customs law, and expressed concern about court enforced disclosure of police sources, techniques and informants.
- employees
must be security screened and access denied to those with relevant criminal
records or known criminal associations;
- movement
on, into and out of Port property must be controlled;
- there
is no central reporting of theft of containers and their contents because
300-400 separate insurers are involved
IMMIGRATION
Rob Johnson of
Canada Immigration gave a very brief description of how illegal migrants were
handled at the Port. Their
enforcement priorities are:
§
terrorists,
war criminals and criminals;
§
removals of
those persons previously deported, those who have failed to appear as directed
for proceedings, and failed refugee claimants.
Despite a few very high profile attempts to land large numbers of illegal immigrants from offshore ships, the number of ship jumpers and stowaways discovered each year is relatively low, ranging from a total of 60-83 per year over the past six years. Immigration depends on the officials of Canada Customs to decide whether they should investigate a passenger or crew member.
In response to questions Mr. Johnson noted that illegal migrants rarely choose ships as their means of gaining illegal entry; potential terrorists are identified by intelligence sources, their response to questions and their background.
CANADA
CUSTOMS AND REVENUE AGENCY
Danielle Evans, Chief of Marine Operations, Vancouver, told the Committee
that she had 60 full-time equivalent staff with which to interview passengers
and crew and to inspect containers and general cargo.
Her personnel were the primary inspection officials for a number of
federal departments and agencies.
Her crews have the best interdiction record on the west coast, a record substantially better than their U.S. equivalents. Their success is built on
§
superior
intelligence and Canadian and international contacts which allow them to target
the area from which a ship comes, particular importers/exporters and particular
ships and containers;
§
interviewing
skills;
§
technology;
they use a “Mobile Vacis,” a Gamma Ray scanner which gives them a two
dimensional image of the contents of a container within a minute;
§
vessel
“rummaging” or inspection;
§
training and
the exchange of information about
successful techniques.
The major challenge they face is the number of locations they must cover and the number of entry points to the Port of Vancouver. They use a number of techniques to check for contraband:
§
the pier or
tail-gate inspection of a container by officers assisted by dogs;
§
vessel
rummaging, or a thorough inspection conducted by 2 or more customs officers and
taking up to 6-8 hours;
§
before 11
September, selective boarding of vessels to determine whether they should be
“rummaged.” Since 11 September,
every vessel is boarded and its crew interviewed;
§
technology.
Given the extra demands placed on her crews since 11 September she requires additional technical and personnel resources to prevent burnout.
MEETING
WITH CUSTOMS OFFICERS
The officers felt that their organization was both understaffed and that
during peak periods in the summer they were too dependent on under trained
students. Staff shortages had led
to a reduction in the number of containers inspected and in the size of
“rummaging parties” sent aboard vessels to interview the crew and conduct a
search. Since a single officer was
at risk, no inspection team of less than two persons should be sent on board a
vessel, even a fishing boat or pleasure craft.
Back end inspections, which match manifests to goods actually landed, had been discontinued.
Customs officers could do a better and more efficient job with better
equipment. The computer network was
considered inefficient; it did not give them all the information necessary to
“target” inspections or passengers, officers did not have terminals in their
vehicles and had to return to the office to get information and file reports.
There was a need for more state-of-the-art technology to allow them to
inspect a higher percentage of containers and baggage.
At some of the locations where they worked, particularly the terminal for
cruise ships, a lack of Customs facilities made working conditions unpleasant.
At the airport officers felt they were increasingly being asked to do
potentially dangerous work for which they had received little or no training –
interview potentially violent passengers and crew, search baggage for explosives
and chemical or bacteriological agents. They
needed more training and better personal equipment.
While promotions seemed to be based on merit, the time allowed for
appeals (7 calendar days) was too short. Frequent
transfers and promotions in management caused stress and inefficiency among the
staff.
In general, the officers felt their jobs had become more dangerous and
that they were more at risk; consequently, they asked that they be given batons
or mace for their personal protection. They
also believed that there were not enough differences between their jobs and
police work to justify the $15,000 salary differential.
WEDNESDAY 21 NOVEMBER 2001-11-28
Craig Richmond,
Vice-President, Airport Operations, Vancouver International Airport noted that
the Airport Authority already is responsible for most aspects of airport
security, including:
§
hiring a
private security company to control access to restricted areas and to patrol
these areas;
§
contracting
with the Richmond RCMP for policing -responding to security incidents and
providing armed response to passenger screening points.
It was logical and desirable, therefore, that the Airport Authority assume responsibility from the airlines for passenger pre-board screening, acting as the agent of the Government of Canada.
The Airport Authority wants to see establishment of a national, non-profit government-industry organization to develop and oversee national standards for technology, training and delivery of passenger pre-board screening and oversee the management of pre-board screening at smaller airports. This would result in the following benefits:
§
unity of
command among airport security officials and staff – all would report and be
responsible to the Airport Authority;
§
more varied
and interesting work for security staff because they would rotate between
pre-board screening, patrolling restricted areas inside and outside the
terminal, and monitoring the closed circuit television system;
§
better pay
and benefits and promotion opportunities for those doing pre-board screening as
part of an integrated airport security force whose higher rate of pay would
reduce the very high turnover rate among those doing pre-board screening;
§
local
accountability within a national standard.
On behalf of Transport Canada, Brian Bramah gave a brief outline of the legislation and regulations governing the three programs of air safety: the safety of the flying public; the security of terminals and runways, etc.; and, the security of aircraft.
Questions
Before a pass to a restricted area is issued, the employee is subjected
to a ten year background check. A
red pass allows an employee to enter a restricted area alone while a blue pass
means that the employee must be accompanied.
The passes of foreign airlines are honoured, but crew members must pass
through security screening.
About 28-40 individuals can ask that a pass be issued.
- The
Airport Authority makes a preliminary series of checks on the applicant and
then issues a blue pass.
- The
request for a restricted pass is forwarded by Transport Canada to the RCMP
and the Security Intelligence Service.
Since work at the airport is seasonal, at times Transport Canada, the
RCMP and the Security and Intelligence Service are deluged with requests and
it takes months for them to inform Transport Canada of the results.
On the basis of the information supplied by Transport Canada, the
Airport Authority issues the pass or informs the applicant of the reasons
why it has been denied.
- The
program of security screening for restricted passes is national –the
information made available to one airport will be available to all airports
where an individual seeks employment.
Security guards at entry points to restricted areas have lists of invalid passes whose “chip” (which unlocks the door) has been cancelled because the pass holder no longer works at the airport or because the pass has been lost or stolen.
- A
problem arises, however, when employers are negligent about reporting and
recovering passes which are invalid. Penalties
for these employers should be more harsh.
- There
is also a problem recovering the passes issued to employees of airlines like
Canada 3000 which have gone bankrupt.
- If
lost or stolen passes exceed 3% of the total, Transport Canada must be
informed.
The Airport Authority believes that all airports should meet the same standard of security, hence the involvement of the federal government in a joint industry-government body to regulate and oversee pre-board screening, but that airports should be allowed to meet the standard in different ways, hence the responsibility of the Airport Authority for delivering the service.
The
system can be made both safe and effective:
- With
a larger staff capable of conducting pre-board screening, the Airline
Authority can open additional lines by drawing staff from other locations.
This would help meet the service standard for maximum time in line
without sacrificing screening standards.
The Airport Authority admitted that on very rare occasions when a large backlog developed at Customs, management was asked to instruct Customs officers to move passengers through the lines more quickly.
- Long
lines could normally be avoided by improving communications with the
airlines and getting accurate information about the next day’s passenger
bookings.
The Airport Authority believed that the various departments and agencies
with responsibility for security, such as the Airport Authority itself, the
airlines, Transport Canada, Customs, Immigration, the RCMP and the private
security company, worked well together and knew each others’ responsibilities.
The Airport Authority exchanges information on a routine basis with a wide range of U.S. and Canadian authorities. The small Transport Canada intelligence unit is in daily contact with the Security Intelligence Service.
POLICING
The RCMP is responsible both for enforcing federal law at the airport
and, under contract, their local Richmond detachment is responsible for policing
the airport.
Inspector Jim Begley outlined the organization and tasks of the organized crime unit at the airport. In 1999 it was given 20 new uniformed positions and now integrates the work previously carried out by a number of sub-units active at the airport. With a combined strength of 47, its mandate is to enforce federal laws and disrupt the activities of organized crime. In the first year of its existence, the unit has concentrated on developing intelligence sources and information banks about the activities of organized crime at the airport. It has begun to move against the smuggling of humans into the country and the traffic in drugs through the airport. The Vancouver airport is a major transfer point between Asia, the United States and other parts of Canada for both drugs and the proceeds of crime – large amounts of cash being moved without legal explanation. Some of the Sub-units include:
§
Federal
Enforcement (Plain Clothes), which currently is particularly interested in
intellectual property crime involving the import of pirated copies of designer
clothes, movies, software, etc.
§
Federal
Enforcement (Uniformed) provides back up to other units, surveillance, and
public re-assurance during periods of crisis;
§
Drug
Enforcement, which works in close partnership with Customs;
§
Immigration,
which works closely with Immigration officials and has a particular interest in
the for-profit smuggling of humans, frequently for the purposes of prostitution;
§
Airport
Integrated Intelligence Unit which normally monitors the travel of criminals,
but is now heavily involved in counter-terrorism, interviewing and tracking the
travel of passengers who have raised suspicion. This sub-section also draws on the resources of other
agencies and departments (Customs, Transport, Immigration, etc.) with an
intelligence component.
Inspector Tonia Enger, RCMP Richmond Detachment, briefed the Committee on
the responsibilities of her detachment as the police force of jurisdiction.
Under contract to the Airport Authority, her detachment provides general
duty policing and is expected to respond to a call from a screening point in 5
minutes or less. As the responding
police force, her officers co-operate with the RCMP stationed at the airport,
but are not responsible to them.
Brian Flagel, Director, Airport Operations, Canada Customs and Revenue Agency. His staff of 232 Full-time Equivalents carry out three operations:
§
Traffic
Operations operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week processing over 4 million
passengers and their baggage through primary, secondary and rover interviews and
examinations.
§
Airside and
Special Enforcement Operations deploys a variety of special teams in the
traffic, commercial and ramp areas, to interdict the movement of contraband,
monitor exports for compliance with regulations, search aircraft and develop the
intelligence necessary to target specific flights.
§
Air Cargo
Operations processes international cargo, courier packages (including express
mail and documents) and supervises sufferance and bonded warehouses as well as
the duty free operation. It also
clears small private, corporate, and charter flights on an on-call basis.
Airport
Customs and Revenue Officers face a number of challenges, including:
§
Increasing
public and business expectations for both safety and speed of service;
§
Increasing
government expectations for controlling the movement of contraband, criminals
and terrorists, preventing the import of disease contaminated food stuffs and
products, etc.
§
Increasing
sophistication of organized crime and terrorists.
Questions
The Airport Authority holds regular “table top” exercises to practice
and develop emergency procedures. The
Emergency Planner calls meetings and chairs the committee.
There are regular meetings of the Security Committee to co-ordinate the
work of the Airport Authority, the RCMP, Customs and the security firm.
Authorities from the US can also be called in, and there are meetings and
conferences with US counterparts.
The Airport Authority cannot search holders of a restricted pass on
entering or leaving the area, but Bill C-23 will authorize the early release of
the passenger lists for flights.
The RCMP organized crime and airport security unit could use twice its
current manpower. It is very costly
to keep up with the capacity of organized crime to purchase new technology-false
documents are increasingly difficult to detect, and criminals now use cell
phones for a brief time and then throw them away to avoid having their calls
monitored.
Customs is adequately staffed for the post 11 September volume of
traffic. During the summer, 60
students are employed after a training course of 3 ½ weeks.
When Customs is flooded by a combination of early and late flights, the
order is given to expedite on the revenue side, not the security side of the
Customs operation. The order to
expedite was given about 4-5 times this past summer.
The Supervisor of Corporate Security for Air Canada spoke about the corporation’s approach to security. To improve security Air Canada had:
§
Placed a
new, more strict, limit on carry-on luggage;
§
Required
passengers to show proof of identity at the boarding gate;
§
Started to
reinforce the doors to the cockpit;
§
Asked that
an agency like NAVCAN be established to take responsibility for pre-boarding
screening;
§
Supported
the presence of “Air Marshals” on flights;
§
Supported
the work of the Air Travel Advisory Group of government and industry
representatives to institute seamless airport security and identify the best
practices across Canada and throughout the world.
Questions
Security measures must balance facilitation and enforcement and their
effectiveness should be subject to ongoing evaluation.
The introduction of more technology on the ground can help, as can the
use of Air Marshals on flights. 100%
of baggage should be screened, but all of these measures would be expensive to
implement and raise the issue of how to recover their costs.
Air Canada supports creation of a separate agency to implement and
enforce a national system of passes to restricted areas.
As a carrier, Air Canada wants recourse from a decision of the Airport
Authority.
There should be a system for the “risk assessment” of passengers from
the time they make a reservation, and more strict screening at the boarding
gate.
In his opinion, given the level of risk to which Canadian passengers are exposed, the Canadian security program is, overall, better than the US.
THURSDAY, 22 NOVEMBER 2001-11-29
1
- Canadian Air Division, Canadian Region NORAD Headquarters, Winnipeg
Major-General
Steve Lucas gave an overview of the capabilities of 1 Air Division. These are:
- Aerospace
Control with Wings located from Comox, B.C. to Goose Bay, Newfoundland and
Labrador;
- Support
to Maritime Operations on the West and East coasts with Sea King detachments
assigned to the Navy and maritime patrol aircraft;
- Support
to the Land Forces with helicopter squadrons based at Edmonton, Petawawa,
Borden, St. Hubert, Valcartier and Gagetown;
- Air
Mobility with a squadron of transport planes based at Yellowknife, and Wings
based at Winnipeg, Trenton and Greenwood;
- Search
and Rescue, organized into the Victoria Area (including B.C. and the Yukon),
the Halifax Area (covering the Maritime provinces) and the Trenton Area
(including the North and interior);
- Air
Training.
As Commander of 1 Canadian Air Division, he is responsible to different headquarters for different roles. To the Chief of the Air Staff; to the Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff (for Search and Rescue), and to NORAD Headquarters in Colorado. The latter responsibility has been particularly important since 11 September, but he does not have to consult Ottawa about routine or agreed upon NORAD missions.
Questions
Cutbacks in funding have reduced every kind of training, whether individual, group, national or international. As a result, the general level of readiness has declined as only a small number of pilots is at the highest level of readiness and training for a number of missions has been discontinued.
- Thus
CF 18 pilots no longer practice low level flying to partially compensate for
the reduction in annual flying hours to 180 from 210; new simulators and the
elimination of anti-submarine training has allowed a reduction in the flying
hours of the pilots and crew of the Aurora patrol aircraft.
Generally satisfied with how contracting out of pilot training has
worked. Bombardier supplies
everything, including food and housing, as well as aircraft, simulators and
software. The training is
considered world class and many NATO pilots come to Canada for training.
Contracting out the maintenance of the Radar sites has also seemed to work. Somewhat wary about contracting out the servicing of aircraft because the air force must be able to service and maintain the aircraft when they are deployed abroad.
- In
general, contracting out reduces flexibility – the contract workers and
technicians cannot be assigned other tasks in an emergency or when
under-occupied, and cannot be asked to work overtime except at punitive
rates.
The Canadian Air Force lacks a strategic air lift capability and must
depend on charters (when available) or on allies to deploy its forces rapidly.
Lack of strategic air re-fuelling capability also limits the speed with
which aircraft can be deployed abroad. Tactically,
only US Navy aircraft can be re-fuelled by Canadian tankers because their air
re-fuelling systems are the same “basket” style used by Canadian aircraft,
and only some US tankers are equipped to re-fuel both “basket” and
“probe” equipped aircraft.
Chief Warrant Officer Danno Dietrich briefed the Committee on the background of the “Flight Plan for Life” initiative to enhance the quality of life. It started as a Working Group in 1996-1997 whose objective was to seek out the concerns of airmen and their families and suggestions for improving morale. It undertook not to turn down any suggestion without a hearing and to respond to every concern and suggestion. To-day the Command Chief Warrant Officer acts as Chair of the Air Command FPfL (Flight Plan for Life) Advisory Committee which has representatives from the various units. Some successes include:
- The
Military Family Resource Centre which offers spousal second language
training, emergence child care and spousal employment assistance;
- Compensation
and Benefits which include Post Living Differential allowances,
compassionate travel assistance, and maternity and parental benefit
improvements;
- Improvements
to private married quarters while holding rent increases to 9% over 5 years
(salaries increased by 28%);
- The
12V concept for deployments to Bosnia-Velika/Kladusa provides for a 12 month
Squadron deployment with variable personnel tour lengths – 16 core
personnel deploy for 6 months at a time while most remaining personnel serve
two 56 day periods and a few serve three periods.
This is not only less disruptive of family life, it makes it easier
for reserve personnel to participate in the rotations;
- Adoption
of a special uniform for work and deployment.
The tempo of operations and a shortage of critical personnel were the major challenges facing 1 Canadian Air Division. The new system of rotation had eased the pressures of the tempo of operations, but operations and staff shortages both impeded training, setting up a vicious circle.
Questions
The lack of training
time was identified as the major source of stress.
The airman had become “a jack of all trades, master of none.”
Retention was a more critical problem than recruiting because of the time
required to train a recruit. Retention
bonuses, if approved, should help to retain technicians.
The Air Force lacked the resources to treat Post-Traumatic Stress
Disorder and had to establish partnerships with non-military clinics. There was still a problem getting airmen to come forward
before their stress became chronic. Most
commonly effected were those who had served with the Army and their problem was
made worse by their isolation when they returned to their unit.
The Israelis had had success with a program of repeatedly questioning
soldiers about their experiences until they began to talk of their own volition.
Family violence had been reduced by the development of the family resource centres and a significantly reduced tolerance for family violence.
There were different
kinds of drug abuse. The major
problem remained alcohol abuse (prescription drug abuse was also a problem).
Abuse of illegal drugs would end the career of the senior ranks, junior
ranks would be given the opportunity of addiction treatment.
Visible minorities were hard to recruit because most recruits came from
smaller communities rather than big cities.
Lieutenant
Colonel Gord Reid, Commandant, Canadian Forces Air Navigation School, gave an
overview of its operations. The
School offers a number of aircrew training courses:
- The
Basic Air Navigator course teaches the basic skills necessary to direct
tactical missions and manage air navigation and communication systems;
- The
Basic AESOP course develops the skills necessary to employ sensor and
communication systems
- The
Staff Air Navigator Course teaches aircrew to identify and document
operational capability deficiencies, and to recommend solutions;
- The
Flight Instructor Course trains qualified aircrew to perform both classroom
and flight instructional duties.
Any excess capacity in the Basic Air Navigator Course is sold to airmen
from foreign countries, including Singapore, Australia, Germany and Norway.
Lieutenant Colonel Bert Doyle, Commanding Officer, 402 Squadron, spoke to
the Committee about the role of the Squadron and the “total Force“ concept
which it embodies.
402 Squadron conducts pilot training on de Havilland Dash 8’s and provides the aircraft which the Air Navigation School uses for training air crew. Regular and Reserve Force members work side-by-side to fulfill 402’s roles and duties – the only difference is that Regular Force personnel are used wherever they must be used, Reservists are used wherever they can be used. The major concern of the Reservists was their lack of legislated job protection during periods of service on operations or training.
Questions
- About
10% of the Reservists with 402 Squadron worked full-time.
Reservists could benefit from their reserve status when
Corporate-Reserve relations were good.
There was some reluctance to support the US model of legislation although
it was noted that all provinces except Quebec had legislation allowing public
servants to take time off for Reserve duties.
The Federal Government had not adopted such legislation.