Minister says he hopes bill to create watchdog for CBSA will pass before summer travel season
Public Safety Minister Mar‐ co Mendicino says he's hop‐ ing a bill that would allow Canadians, immigrants, tourists and other trav‐ ellers to complain about mistreatment by border of‐ ficers will pass before the busy summer travel months.
"My sincere hope is that by doing the work, that we will be able to pass this bill this time," he told a parlia‐ mentary committee Tuesday evening.
Mendicino is the third Lib‐ eral minister in seven years to promise a watchdog body to oversee the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA). Previ‐ ous versions of the bill got multi-party support but died on the order paper.
Mendicino introduced Bill C-20 almost exactly a year ago. The bill would create a Public Complaints and Review Commission that would give the existing RCMP watchdog the additional responsibility of handling public complaints about the CBSA.
The bill is now at the com‐ mittee stage of its path through Parliament — but is running out of runway before the House rises for the sum‐ mer break.
The border agency re‐ mains the only public safety department without an out‐ side civilian review body, de‐ spite the power border offi‐ cers wield. Border officers can carry firearms and are empowered to search, de‐ tain and arrest travellers.
For now, an internal unit handles complaints from the public while the National Se‐ curity and Intelligence Com‐ mittee of Parliamentarians (NSICOP) and the National Se‐ curity and Intelligence Review Agency can examine national security-related matters.
Access to information re‐ quests show that, behind the scenes, Canadian border offi‐ cers have been reprimanded for hundreds of acts of mis‐ conduct over the past two years — including preferential treatment, harassment and abuse of powers.
But critics have long ar‐ gued there is no accountabili‐ ty when the CBSA investigates itself.
If passed, Bill C-20 would also require the heads of the RCMP and the CBSA to report annually to the public safety minister on progress in imple‐ menting commission recom‐ mendations.
The bill also promises to codify deadlines and would require the RCMP to respond to complaints within six months. The RCMP some‐ times takes years to properly respond to complaints lodged by members of the public with the Civilian Review and Complaints Commission.
NDP MP Peter Julian said that after years of delay, his party wants to see the bill passed swiftly but would like to see some amendments to increase funding and improve
Indigenous representation at the commission.
Conservative MP Raquel Dancho said her party is likely to support the bill all the way, "notwithstanding any curve‐ ball, sneaky amendments from any other party."
The idea of an indepen‐ dent body to review the CB‐ SA's activities dates back to at least 2006. It was one of the recommendations made by Judge Dennis O'Connor fol‐ lowing an inquiry into Cana‐ da's involvement in the extra‐ ordinary rendition of Maher Arar, who was then tortured in a Syrian jail.