Ottawa, November 19, 2024 – The Customs and Immigration Union (CIU), which represents Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) officers and personnel across the country, is calling upon CBSA to immediately reverse its misguided decision to reduce hours of service at land ports of entry in New Brunswick, Quebec, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and British Columbia.
On November 18, 2024, CBSA announced that it was reducing hours of service for more than a quarter of its land ports of entry, allegedly to boost security and align with United States border crossings operational hours. “This is an incredibly misguided decision” said CIU National President Mark Weber in response to the Agency’s announcement, which came with little advanced notice to the union and CBSA employees. “At a time when all eyes are on the border, given the potential impact of the recent American presidential election, it is beyond shortsighted for the Agency to proceed with this reduction of service. To claim that the border is more secure with ports closed more often is like saying that up is down — it’s nonsense” added the union president.
The union is disappointed to see that the Agency is once again making changes without consulting the frontline officers who work at the affected border crossings. Worse, CBSA does not appear to have consulted border communities at all, despite the significant impact of this reduction in hours of service on families and local businesses.
“Affected ports will see their operational hours slashed as of January 6, 2025, in some cases going from operating around the clock to only being opened for 12 hours,” said the CIU National President. For communities that straddle the border — many of them rural — such changes can be far-reaching, as both the Canadian and American sides are dependent on each other for critical services, employment, and industry.
With ports closing earlier, residents and commercial operators will have to travel further early in the morning, in the evening and at night — sometimes over long distances. Industrial sectors such as agriculture and forestry will certainly be impacted. Some of the affected ports also play an important role in connecting Canada to large U.S. metropolitan areas, such as Boston and Denver.
“This is not the first time that the Agency has sought to reduce hours of service at land ports,” said Mark Weber, “and the end result is that it makes the border both less secure and less functional. We really need the government to properly invest in the border to ensure it is adequately staffed, so our members can continue to serve Canadians and protect our communities. Reducing hours of service certainly does not help to achieve this.”
