Border Agency Audit Uncovers Shoddy Screening of Rail Shipments

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By Jim Bronskill, CTV News Apr 19, 2016

An internal audit has uncovered numerous gaps in the federal border agency's efforts to prevent dangerous cargo and people from entering Canada aboard freight trains.

The Canada Border Services Agency review found inadequate managerial oversight, a lack of timely information on which to base decisions and shoddy targeting of incoming rail shipments for scrutiny.

The auditors made several recommendations to remedy the shortcomings, all of which were accepted by the border services agency.

"Improved strategic direction, infrastructure, information for decision-makers and targeting would help reduce the risk of non-compliant goods and/or inadmissible individuals from entering Canada through the commercial rail mode," says the newly released audit report, completed in December.

Rail shipments worth tens of billions of dollars -- everything from auto parts to fertilizer -- arrive annually through 27 entry points.

Many details of the risks and problems in managing the huge flow -- and what the border agency was doing to address them -- were considered too sensitive to make public.

For instance, figures on border agency examinations of rail shipments over the last three years were stripped from the report prior to release.

The auditors found there were structures in place to manage the border agency's commercial rail program. However, there had been "minimal discussion, strategic direction, analysis and oversight of the commercial rail mode at key agency oversight committees."

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