Proceedings of the Standing Senate Committee on
National Security and Defence

Issue No. 35 - Twentieth Report of the Committee

Tuesday, December 4, 2018

The Standing Senate Committee on National Security and Defence has the honour to present its

TWENTIETH REPORT

Your committee, to which was referred Bill C-21, An Act to amend the Customs Act, has, in obedience to the order of reference of October 23, 2018, examined the said bill and now reports the same with the following amendment:

1. Clause 2, page 3: Replace line 18 with the following:

"collected under sections 92 and 93 shall be retained by the Agency for a period of not more than 15''.

Your committee has also made certain observations, which are appended to this report.

Respectfully submitted,

GWEN BONIFACE

Chair

Observations to the twentieth report of the Standing Senate Committee on National Security and Defence (Bill C-21)

1. In light of the increased complexity of moving people and goods to Campobello Island, New Brunswick, from mainland Canada via the Lubec, Maine, land border crossing, the Committee recommends that the Government of Canada work with the Government of New Brunswick to investigate the feasibility of year round ferry service with mainland New Brunswick.

2. The committee suggests that the Government of Canada explore and adopt further measures to prevent child abductions by including information on child custody restrictions in the current Canada Border Services Agency database, as well as all issued AMBER alerts.

3. The Mohawks of Akwesasne expressed border mobility concerns related to information sharing as a result of their unique geographical circumstances, where individuals can enter and exit Canada without having been processed by a Customs Port of Entry.

Therefore the Committee recommends the following:

(a) That CBSA work with Employment and Social Development Canada and Indigenous Services Canada and the Mohawk Council of Akwesasne to consider appropriate redress mechanisms related to eligibility for benefits, with a particular focus for residents of Tsi Snaihne and Kanatakon (St. Regis), Quebec.

(b) That the Government of Canada consider implementing a CBSA pre-clearance facility in Massena, New York, to enable residents of Cornwall Island to report to a Canada Border Services Agency Officer without entering the city of Cornwall.