On Tuesday September 27, 2022, the National President of the Customs and Immigration Union, Mark Weber, addressed the House of Commons Standing Committee on International Trade for the second time this year as part of the Committee’s study on the potential impacts of the ArriveCAN application on certain Canadian sectors.

Speaking to the Committee, the CIU National President did not mince words: “What the failure of ArriveCAN shows us is that our government must continue to invest in people to best serve people and reconsider its pursuit of a one-size-fits-all technological panacea” Weber explained to Committee members, highlighting the urgent need for more officers.

“What I urge the government and the Agency to do now is to turn their attention to the severe deficit in personnel afflicting border services throughout the country. The reality is bleak: The Agency needs thousands more officers if it wishes to fulfill its mandate” told Weber to the Committee, adding that with current staffing levels, the Agency struggled to adequately curb the smuggling of dangerous goods, despite the sustained efforts of its officers.

A recording of the Committee proceedings can be viewed here.