A promise of 1,000 new border guards is the cornerstone of a series of new measures announces by the federal government on Friday (Oct. 17) to boost Canadian border security.
Two Metro Vancouver Liberal MPs – Minister of Veterans Affairs and Delta MP Jill McKnight, along with South Surrey-White Rock MP Ernie Klassen – were on hand at Peace Arch border crossing in South Surrey on Friday to spread the word about the measures announced earlier in the day by Prime Minister Mark Carney in Niagara Falls, Ont.
Carney announced that new measures to enhance border security will be included in the upcoming federal budget, including the hiring of the promised 1,000 new Canada Border Service Agency (CBSA) officers to help “crack down on the movement of stolen goods, illegal guns and drugs, enforce import measures, and investigate unfair trade practices.”
“That will be starting this 2025-26 fiscal year,” McKnight said, noting the plan means an investment of $617.7 million for hiring over the next five years. “We’re getting started right away so that we can make the changes and make people feel safe at home. … We're making the investments and starting the hiring right away.”
Asked whether there was support from other parties for the move, McKnight noted: “We’ve heard a lot of conversation across Canada about the importance of public safety and making investments in public safety, because every Canadian needs to feel safe here. We are anticipating working closely with our partners to move these measures forward quickly.”
As to what will be felt in the Lower Mainland from the additional hiring, McKnight said the decision of how to allocate the resources will be up to the CBSA.
“Part of the conversation we’ve been having with the CBSA today has been about how significantly used the crossings here in the Lower Mainland and specifically (Peace Arch crossing),” McKnight says. “My hope would be that we are going to see that investing translating into the crossings such as this one.”
Asked about the possibility that the new personnel could benefit facilities such as Deltaport and the Tsawwassen marine inspection facility, McKnight reiterated it will be up to the CBSA to determine “where those needs are best met.”
“We know that we are investing in the CBSA as a whole, and we will leave it up to those individuals to say where those needs are best fulfilled at the implementation stage,” she said.
Also on the table is a plan to increase the CBSA's recruit stipend, paid during training, from $125 to $525 per week, and amendments to allow CBSA officers and other front-line workers the option to retire on full pension after 25 years of service.
Questioned whether the new measures will be sufficient to satisfy the Trump administration in the U.S. over questions of border security, McKnight emphasized the measures were being introduced with Canadian needs in mind.
“We know that we are continuing to make investments in our border. There were steps that were already taken with the implementation of the fentanyl czar and the border patrols that were implemented earlier in the year,” she said. “This is an investment that Canada is making in response to concerns from Canadians, and we will continue to respond in the ways that best meet the needs of Canadians.”
Carney returned to his now-familiar message of “building Canada strong” in touting the new measures.
“The world is increasingly dangerous and divided, and as Canadians, we must look out for ourselves,” he said in a release. “That is why Canada’s new government is relentlessly focused on protecting our border, our country, and our way of life. We’re securing our sovereignty, combatting crime, and building safer communities.”
The federal budget will be tabled in the House of Commons on Nov. 4.