"Every Canadian would benefit from such a move, directly or indirectly. What it highlights, however, is the need for this government to reconsider its position not to provide side arms to the 3,700 Canadian Customs Officers at our country’s front line, while asking  them to detain and arrest the same caliber of criminals as the RCMP, U.S. Customs Officers, and U.S. Border Patrol."

U.S. Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge yesterday announced his country would let armed U.S. Customs Officers stand on guard on Canadian soil to pre-clear goods heading south.

Foreign Affairs Minister John Manley said the government will need to discuss the issue since it would require a change in policy and practice.

Canadian officials have been pushing for increased use of pre-clearance for people and shipments in an effort to regain American support and confidence.

"The big problem with such a plan was always the fact that Americans do not want to send their Customs Officers into Canada without their guns," said Serge Charette, National President of the Customs Excise Union. "Canadian Customs Officers are not armed, while U.S. Customs Officers are."

"Governor Ridge stated the need for both U.S. and Canadian Customs Officers to be armed to better protect the border, " adds Charette, "I hope Foreign Affairs Minister Manley will be as forward thinking and will not hesitate to raise the matter with his Cabinet colleagues."

CEUDA strongly favours equipping Customs Officers with firearms but has run into opposition from the Customs and Revenue Agency. Charette adds " the Agency is about to hire an independent firm to carry out a job hazard analysis and we feel very confident the nature of  the work performed by Customs Officers will demonstrate that arming is not only an option, but a requirement."

"If U.S. Customs at border crossings, U.S. Border Patrol between U.S. crossing, and RCMP between crossings in Canada are armed, shouldn't Canadian Customs Officers who are expected to detain and arrest the same caliber of criminals also be armed?" asked Charette.

Background

It was the Customs Excise Union that, on October 25, originally proposed to a House Sub-committee on Trade that Canada build Commercial Customs Clearance Centers that could also be used to let U.S. Customs pre-clear Canadian exports to the U.S.

In the aftermath of Sept. 11, Americans tightened their border security with Canada. Those measures slowed the delivery of Canadian just-in-time inventory parts to the U.S. and vice versa. This strained Canada’s C$600 billion exports business to the U.S. as well as the C$500 billion in American imports into Canada.  CEUDA’s plan aimed to provide immediate and significant help to Canadian importers and exporters who were all seeking ways to reduce border delays.

CEUDA is a union representing more than 10,500 members, 3,700 of whom are uniformed Canadian Customs Officers and 800 of whom are Trade Officers working in Canada Customs at the CCRA.

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