Toronto, Ontario, July 11, 2005 -- The Honourable Anne McLellan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness and Minister responsible for the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), announced today the launch of a consultation process on a new Fairness Initiative to ensure that Canadians and visitors to Canada are treated fairly and can expect to receive the best possible service when crossing the border and in all other dealings with the CBSA.
This Initiative includes a series of proposed commitments on how people should expect to be treated by the CBSA. The CBSA will start consulting immediately with clients and stakeholders, including members of the Cross-Cultural Roundtable on Security and ethno-cultural communities, in order to obtain their feedback. These consultations will be conducted across the country until the fall. The CBSA wants to ensure its clients' views and perceptions are taken into consideration in the development of a comprehensive, unbiased and transparent Fairness Initiative.
The CBSA's commitment to fairness is based on six pillars: respect and courtesy, fair application of the law, privacy and confidentiality, bilingual service, accurate information about entitlements and obligations, and review of our actions or decisions.
"Everyone should expect to be treated fairly by the CBSA," said Minister McLellan. "By implementing this Initiative, the CBSA will be strengthening its accountability to all Canadians and visitors at the border. CBSA Officers are the first point of contact at the border and we want to ensure that people entering Canada are treated fairly," added Minister McLellan.
The CBSA was created on December 12, 2003. As a new organization, the CBSA needs to put in place a Fairness Initiative that reflects our new roles and responsibilities. The CBSA will use the results of the consultation process to develop its Fairness Initiative and the mechanisms that will be implemented to ensure transparency.
At the same time, the CBSA is working on improving its complaint and compliment mechanisms to provide a system that is more accessible and accountable. The CBSA will develop tools to make it easier for clients to contact the CBSA should they have any comments.
Until the Fairness Initiative is fully implemented, the CBSA encourages clients to provide feedback on how they were treated at the border, or in any other dealing with the CBSA, by speaking with a manager on-site or by contacting the local CBSA office at a later date.
"I want to thank the Honourable Roy Cullen, Parliamentary Secretary and Member of Parliament for Etobicoke North, for his longstanding commitment to this initiative. I also wish to thank him for agreeing to be engaged in the consultation process," said Deputy Prime Minister McLellan.
"The Fairness Initiative is a testament to a commitment within the public safety portfolio to strengthen our relationship with Canadians," added Deputy Prime Minister McLellan. "We are determined that Canada's approach to safety and security reflect Canadian values of fairness and respect, and that it be sensitive to both the needs of Canadians and the diversity of our society."
The Fairness Initiative is one of a series of measures that have been undertaken within the Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada portfolio to engage Canadians in the on-going development of a balanced approach to safety and security (see Fact Sheet). From the launch of the department of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness in December 2003, and the subsequent announcement of Canada's National Security Policy in the spring of 2004, the Government has been emphatic in its resolve to enlist the help and support of all Canadians to ensure that our approach to national security and public safety remains effective.
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For media information:
Alex Swann
Office of the Honourable Anne McLellan
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
(613) 991-2863
Helen Leslie
CBSA Media Relations
(613) 957-6500
BACKGROUNDER
PSEPC and Community Outreach
"Canadians have built a remarkable country shaped by a deep attachment to democracy, the rule of law, respect for human rights and pluralism. Our way of life is based on an openness to ideas and innovations, and to people from every part of the world-a commitment to include every individual and every community in the ongoing project that is Canada-and a steadfast rejection of intolerance, extremism and violence" - Building an Open Society, Canada's National Security Policy
The Government's commitment to include all Canadians in building this country extends to those efforts to protect it. The stigmatization of any community within Canada is unacceptable and so too any such notion that our diversity or our openness to newcomers needs to be limited to ensure our security.
From the outset, and notably with the creation of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada in December 2003, the protection of individual rights and freedoms has been a fundamental principle in the Government's approach to national security. It is a "made in Canada" approach, guided by Canada's traditions of tolerance and inclusion.
To ensure that the approach to national security and public safety remains effective, the Government requires the help and support of all Canadians. To that end, the Government has taken steps to reach out to communities in Canada and engage them in the development of a balanced approach to safety and security. These include:
The National Security Policy, released in April, 2004, articulates Canada's core national security interests and provides a framework within which the Government will work to address current and future threats. The key values of democracy, human rights, the rule of law, and pluralism are embodied in the policy.
The Cross-Cultural Roundtable on Security (CCRS) was created to bring Canadians and the Government together in a long-term dialogue on topics related to national security and the impacts they may have on Canada's diverse and pluralistic society. The CCRS, convened for the first time on March 7, 2005, provides a forum to discuss trends and developments in national security, and offers policy makers insights into how Canada's diverse communities and the Government can better engage in national security policy and program matters.
The Anti-Terrorism Act, passed into law in December, 2001, was developed to combat terrorism, while ensuring respect for privacy and human rights. It contains a number of safeguards--including a Parliamentary review of the Act, as has been commenced, within three years of receiving Royal Assent and the publication of annual reports--to ensure that the Act remains transparent and accountable to Canadians. The Act respects such important qualities as fairness, due process and judicial review.
An Advisory Council on National Security, which the Government is establishing to receive advice from external experts on issues related to national security.
A proposed model for a National Security Committee of Parliamentarians, with a mandate to review the framework for security and intelligence in Canada, and the ability of departments and agencies involved these activities to fulfill their responsibilities. As outlined this past April, the proposal builds on a commitment set out in the National Security Policy and the Action Plan for Democratic Reform.
A request by the Government that Mr. Justice Dennis O'Connor provide advice on the creation of a new arms-length review mechanism for RCMP activities relating to national security. This will add to safeguards already in place: the Security Intelligence Review Committee; the Inspector General for Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), the Commissioner of the Communications Security Establishment; and the Commission for Public Complaints Against the RCMP to ensure that government security and intelligence agencies act appropriately and in compliance with Canadian law and policy.
All portfolio agencies have policies and programs in place to ensure their activities are carried out in a way that is sensitive to the diversity of Canada's communities and that respects the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the Canadian Human Rights Act. Training, recruitment and outreach activities are constantly being re-evaluated and enhanced to ensure they respond to the needs of Canada's changing population. For example:
The Canadian Border Services Agency's Fairness Initiative, announced in July 11, 2005, seeks to ensure that Canadians and visitors to Canada are treated fairly and can expect to receive the best possible service when crossing the border and in their other dealings with the Agency. As a first step, the CBSA is consulting clients and stakeholders for their views on the development of the overall initiative.
The RCMP's philosophy of Community Policing is built on a model of consultation and engagement with those they serve. The RCMP Service Standards state that service to the public will be provided at all times in a courteous, helpful and culturally-sensitive manner. Diversity training is integrated into the overall delivery of the Cadet Training Program, and the Commissioner meets regularly with his Advisory Committee on Visible Minorities and Aboriginal people. Based on this philosophy, the RCMP has approved a bias-free policing strategy that includes community outreach for both policy development and incident resolution.
CSIS had conducted community outreach for years but this has usually been done quietly and with small groups. CSIS now intends to take a more structured approach to community outreach and will coordinate a national effort to meet with a larger variety of community groups, particularly those representing Muslim Canadians and other visible minorities. The Service will also produce material in non-official languages that will be available on its web site and that can be distributed when meeting various groups. More speakers from community groups will also be invited to speak at CSIS's speakers' series.
As of March 31, 2005, almost 10 per cent of CSIS employees had self-identified as visible minorites, a higher percentage than for the Government of Canada as a whole. CSIS continues to welcome visible minority candidates, a fact made clear in its recruiting material and images and public communications. Intelligence officers are trained to recognize and respect the diversity of Canada's many cultures and learn a great deal about the communities with whom they will interact before being placed in the field.
Taken together, these measures reflect the guiding principles and ongoing objectives of the Government's approach to national security and public safety in its determination to protect the rights and freedoms of Canadians. In the coming months, PSEPC will pursue further measures to strengthen its relationship with Canadians.
Canada Border Services Agency
Factsheet
July 2005
Fairness Initiative
The Canada Border Services Agency's (CBSA) Fairness Initiative is designed to ensure that all Canadians and visitors to Canada receive high-quality service at the border and throughout all their dealings with the CBSA.
This Initiative is built on six pillars: respect and courtesy, fair application of the law, privacy and confidentiality, bilingual service, accurate information about entitlements and obligations, and review of our actions or decisions.
The Fairness Initiative provides an opportunity to:
increase our understanding of clients' needs and expectations;
increase clients' understanding of our role;
identify business improvements;
gain greater cooperation and improve communication with our clients;
increase public support for the organization;
deal with complaints quickly and fairly before they become major disputes; and
let us learn what we need to know to improve our service to you.
The CBSA recognizes clients' right to comment and we will actively solicit feedback from them. We aim to investigate complaints effectively and promptly. At all times we will be honest and fair in our dealings with clients.
The CBSA will:
treat clients with respect, courtesy and fairness at all times;
treat clients' comments confidentially;
not discriminate against clients for any reason;
address all comments or concerns; and
issue a full response.
The CBSA will enhance the complaints and compliments process by increasing its capabilities to respond to clients' comments and concerns. This will allow Canadians and visitors to Canada to report and resolve border related issues quickly and easily.
The CBSA is looking at other border organizations' approach to fairness in order to establish the best system possible for Canadians and visitors to Canada.
Until the Fairness Initiative is established, the CBSA encourages its clients to provide feedback on how they were treated at the border, by speaking to a manager on-site or by contacting the local CBSA office at a later date.
The CBSA is unwavering in its commitment to ensuring the safety and security of Canadians, while preserving the fundamental rights and freedoms by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
Canada Border Services Agency
A Commitment to Fairness
In your dealings with the Canada Border Services Agency, you can expect:
Respect and courtesy
We will treat you in a respectful, professional and considerate manner.
Fair application of the law
We will administer all applicable laws in an objective, unbiased and non-discriminatory manner.
Privacy and confidentiality
We will be discreet and tactful in our interactions with you and we will respect your rights to privacy and confidentiality.
Bilingual service
We will respect your right to communicate with and receive services from the Canada Border Services Agency in English and in French in designated bilingual offices.
Accurate information about entitlements and obligations
We will respond to your requests for information in a timely manner.
Review of our actions or decisions
We will review our actions or decisions if you believe that the Agency has not met its commitment to fairness, or if you believe that you have not received full entitlements under the law or that the law has not been applied fairly. You may speak to a manager on-site, or contact the local CBSA office at a later date.
