CEUDA defends Senate Committee on National Security and Defence

OCT 18-06  News release ... Senators on the Standing Senate Committee on National Security and Defence came under attack earlier today by CTV reporter Graham Richardson and CTV Ottawa Bureau Chief Robert Fife. Four Senators and three of their staffers wanted to reach conflict-ridden Afghanistan, as part of a fact-finding mission and to demonstrate Parliamentary support for our mission there, but after having had to wait in Dubai for several days were unsuccessful in reaching Afghanistan. “It’s unfortunate that Senators and their staff could not reach their destination and incurred costs as a result.  To attack them in a way that suggests this was intended seems gratuitous and simply wrong.  CEUDA finds the attack unfortunate,” says Ron Moran. 

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Liberal MP Derek Lee Calls BSOs WIMPS - CEUDA, Minister Day and many MPs demand apology

SEPT 25-06  News Release ... During Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day’s response to a serious question from NDP MP Joe Comartin (Monday, Sept 25, 2006) about the work refusal by 60 Border Services Officers at 4 land border crossings in British Columbia on Sunday, Sept 24, 2006, Liberal MP Derek Lee, Scarborough – Rouge River, began to shout “WIMPS” and repeated it 10 to 15 times in a vicious attack against men and women who guard Canada without sidearms and who exercised their legal right to refuse dangerous work under Part II of the Canada Labour Code when presented with intelligence telling them an American wanted for murder was headed their way and considered armed and dangerous.

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 W H A T   W A S   S A I D   I N   T H E   H O U S E (Sept 25-06)

 M P   M A S S E   R E L E A S E  (Sept 25-06)

 M P   H I E B E R T   R E L E A S E  (Sept 25-06)

 M P   B R I E T K R E U T Z   E - M A I L  (Sept 25-06)

 S T A T E M E N T S   R E A D   I N   T H E   H O U S E  (Sept 26-06)

Prime Minister & Minister say Customs Lookout System will be fixed

AUG 31-06  Intelligence a must on the border
Along with the announcement that his Government will begin arming Officers at CBSA and doubling-up one-person shifts, the Right Honourable Prime Minister Stephen Harper conceded there is also a lack of up-to-date computer equipment at some border points and said the government will act to fix the problem. CEUDA is calling for secure, high-speed connections at all land border crossings, and for all lookout information to be made available to Border Services Officers without the current filtering or watering down of risk levels.

CEUDA Pleased the Government is Honouring its Promise to Arm and Double-up Border

AUG 31-06  News release
Today’s announcement by the Right Honourable Prime Minister Stephen Harper that the New Government remains committed to arming Officers at the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and to doubling-up one-person shifts comes as welcome news to the Customs Excise Union Douanes Accise (CEUDA), which represents 9,000 members working in CBSA.  

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Prime Minister Harper announces initiatives to improve Canada's border security
AUG 31-06  Surrey, British Columbia ... Today, Prime Minister Stephen Harper outlined the Government of Canada’s plan to improve border security in B.C. and across this country.  “A safe, secure and efficient border is important for Canada, and for all Canadians,” said Prime Minister Harper.  “It is vital to our country’s economy, and will protect the safety and security of all of our local communities.”  Strengthening Canada’s border security will also create positive change for Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) officers.  In the 2006 Budget, $101 million was committed over the next two years.
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Land border crossings – identifying options for change
41 questions for members

JULY 14-06  NO-memo Looking for information ... The CEUDA National Office is now gathering information that will address these matters with substance and detail.  The information will be collated and presented to Minister Day, as well as to Senator Kenny who chairs the Senate Committee on National Security and Defence.  Our goal is to help them make informed and sound decisions and recommendations about how to resolve critical problems on the border that have long been flagged but have received little if any priority or serious attention by management. 

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CBSA President grilled by Senate Committee

JUNE 19-06  Testimony  ... Senator Campbell to Alain Jolicoeur: "With all due respect, you are copping out. I am new here. I cannot believe this. I just cannot believe what I am hearing here. Are we serious about taking care of terrorism and people crossing our borders here? You cannot cop out by saying there are hundreds of places you can cross in this country. I know there are hundreds of places. You are responsible for the crossings. You came here in October. At that time you said there was no log being kept that would tell you how many people were jumping the border. Now we have a number of 1,600. Where did that come from?"  E N T I R E   T E S T I M O N Y

Senator CAMPBELL, Larry W.

National President and 1st NVP Meet with Minister Day

JUNE 27-06  Discussing Options  Progress ...National President Ron Moran and 1st National Vice-President Jean-Pierre Fortin met with Minister Stockwell Day on June 27 to discuss many current issues. The recently announced delays in arming and doubling-up implementation were at the top of the agenda. During the meeting, Brothers Moran and Fortin thanked Minister Day for his Government’s commitment to Officer safety but made it clear that CEUDA was in no way supportive of the announced time-lines and emphasized the fact that it was even more unacceptable to have learned of these CBSA proposed time-lines through the media given the supposedly "collaborative" labour relations environment our members and Parliamentarians keep hearing about. The Minister remains very concerned by the shortfalls consistently being identified by CEUDA, and invited the Union to provide him with a more elaborate version of the CEUDA solutions suggested to him during the meeting. The Union will develop these options as requested and present to the Minister at a follow-up meeting later this summer. We will be reporting on the progress of each of these issues as information becomes available.

Recent arrests of suspect terrorists Dirie & Mohamed

JUNE 08-06  Letter  Dear Minister Day ... Like most Canadians, I was concerned but not surprised last week to learn of the existence of an organized terrorist group plotting violence against the people of Canada. I was even more concerned when I saw that two of the individuals identified as part of this terrorist cell were persons that Border Services Officers from CBSA had encountered in highly dangerous circumstances at the Fort Erie Peace Bridge crossing last summer.

  L E T T E R  (June 08-06)

Level of Distrust between Border Officers and Ottawa
Getting Dangerously High - May Lead to Walkouts
JAN 13-06  News release ... On Tuesday, Jan 10, 2006, CEUDA publicly released the Northgate report, its findings and recommendations. The Report, which among its 31 recommendations confirms the need to arm Officers, has now received wide distribution amongst Border Services, Intelligence and Investigation Officers in the CBSA, an exceptionally large number of whom had already expressed to CEUDA their utter disgust and contempt with their employer for having adopted a culture of deceit and covering up information and internal reports that recommended such things as arming Officers.

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CEUDA releases Northgate Report on Officer safety and the necessity of sidearms
JAN 10-06  Release of Report ... The Customs Excise Union Douanes Accise (CEUDA) has provided copies of ‘A View from the Front Lines’ authored by The Northgate Group to the Leaders of all political parties as well as to the Minister of Public Security and the President of the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA). Among other important recommendations, the Northgate Report has specifically recommended the issuance of side-arms for Border Services Officers, Customs Investigators and Regional Intelligence Officers engaged in inspection, interdiction and enforcement duties. The Report also recommends the creation of an armed, mobile Border Patrol.

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CEUDA applauds NDP border proposals
JAN 09-06  News release ... “We are very pleased with Mr. Layton’s proposals as they relate to border security.  These proposals, which include arming Border Officers, represent a serious commitment to better enforce control at our border crossings and to give Canada’s Customs Officers the safety, powers and resources they need that CEUDA has been calling for.”

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CEUDA applauds Conservative border proposals
JAN 05-06  News release ... “We are very pleased with Mr. Harper’s proposals as they relate to border security.  This represents the most serious and detailed plan to better enforce control at our border crossings and to give Canada’s Customs Officers the safety, powers and resources they need that we have seen from any political party.”
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