Kiosk malfunctions causing delays for travelers in certain Canadian airports have been criticized as unacceptable by the head of Canada’s border agency. Toronto Pearson Airport recently experienced disruptions at its inspection kiosks, resulting in passenger delays in two terminals, highlighting ongoing challenges with the aging IT infrastructure at the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA).
CBSA President Erin O’Gorman expressed concerns over the reliability of legacy systems and contingency plans, emphasizing the need for consistent functionality. Last month, a system outage hindered border officers from reviewing security alerts related to truck drivers entering the country from the United States, as reported by the officers’ union.
Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree has tasked O’Gorman with providing a comprehensive report on recent technological issues within 90 days. Despite acknowledging occasional outages, Anandasangaree assured Canadians of the system’s overall effectiveness and the government’s commitment to prompt resolution of any disruptions.
During a news conference at the Rainbow Bridge border crossing in Niagara Falls, Ont., Anandasangaree announced the government’s initiative to hire 1,000 new personnel in fulfillment of a campaign promise. The plan includes enhancing recruitment incentives and retirement benefits for existing officers, with a dedicated budget of $617.7 million over five years.
The hiring of additional border workers aims to bolster security measures and facilitate smoother border operations while combatting illegal activities such as smuggling. The recruitment strategy, part of a broader public safety plan introduced by the government, allocates the majority of new hires as armed officers, with the remainder comprising intelligence officers and security personnel.
Opposition members have raised concerns over the training capacity of the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) to accommodate the influx of new recruits. CBSA officials have outlined plans to optimize training throughput at their primary officer training college in Rigaud, Que., to address attrition challenges and ensure sufficient agent capacity.
The decision to expand border personnel coincides with ongoing attention to border security, particularly in light of U.S. President Donald Trump’s focus on the U.S.-Canada border. While Trump has highlighted concerns about fentanyl trafficking from Canada, data shows minimal drug flow across the northern border. CBSA has seized a limited amount of export fentanyl this year, prompting officials to underscore the importance of combating illegal drug distribution.
Anandasangaree dismissed Trump’s claims of significant fentanyl influx from Canada, citing evidence to the contrary. Despite avoiding direct linkage between Trump’s rhetoric and the recruitment drive, Liberal MP Wayne Long emphasized the government’s commitment to addressing international concerns regarding drug trafficking and enhancing border security cooperation.
