Canadian border agents need access to our country’s police database: union
Posted May 25, 2015 10:20 am.
Last Updated May 25, 2015 11:53 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
OTTAWA (NEWS1130) – A union representing Canada’s border agents says there is a serious security gap that may be allowing wanted criminals to easily enter our country.
The Canada Border Services Agency has its own alert system. But Jean-Pierre Fortin with the Customs and Immigration Union says he’s concerned front-line border agents, who screen every traveller entering the country, don’t have access to the Canadian police database. That database would tell them right away if a passenger is wanted for a crime.
“We want to make sure that if the person that we have in front of us — which could be a terrorist, could be a criminal — we would like to have the full disclosure of that information.
Fortin points out American border guards have access to the Canadian database, but our agents don’t, adding he’s been asking for it for more than five years.
He says the government is more concerned with quickly pushing people through border checks than national security checks.
The public safety minister is saying little about the issue, but points out we work with the Americans to share information and make the border safer.
