Border agency responds

Re: Toxic chemicals seized by CBSA still not properly managed: audit report, Oct. 13

The Canada Border Services Agency ( CBSA) would like to assure readers that the large quantities of chemicals which represent well over 95 per cent of the volume, were disposed of by the end of March 2020. We would also like to share that as part of the actions taken by our agency to implement strategies to manage the national inventory ( i. e., backlog) of small and large quantities of precursor chemicals, those precursors identified in the audit that posed the highest health and safety risk were disposed of in October 2019. Many of these disposals were completed in partnership with Public Services and Procurement Canada ( PSPC), the RCMP and contracted authorities.

We continue to work productively with our Government of Canada partners to ensure roles and responsibilities are clearly defined. We also continue to review our policies regarding precursor chemicals and adapt to changes as required to ensure the safety and security of Canadians. And we are committed to continuing this important work.

While the agency has already made great strides, we continue to take appropriate steps to respond to global trends and threats. Some concrete examples include:

❚ ❚ adopting a Memorandum of Understanding in June 2020 with PSPC to provide a high- level overview of the management of all seized goods, not just precursor chemicals;

❚ continuing to build on the relationship with the RCMP, through the MOU, by outlining proper roles and responsibilities, and establishing a weekly conference call with partners;

❚ working to l everage PSPC’S comprehensive control and tracking system; and

❚ completing the implementation of tracking tools and mapping the process flow/ details, in collaboration with PSPC.

The recommendations advanced through this audit will only continue to improve our policies and practices, which is at the heart of our business: keeping Canadian communities safe. Peter Hill, Vice- President, Commercial and Trade Branch, Canada Border Services Agency