Travellers wait to cross into Canada at the Rainbow Bridge in Niagara Falls, Ontario, August 9, 2021. (Photo by Geoff Robins / AFP)
The Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) tracked more than 44 million trips by Canadians driving over the Canada-U.S. border last year through its Entry/Exit program.
The CBSA Entry/Exit (E/E) program has been in place since 2021 to collect “more complete, accurate, and reliable” tracking information for those entering and departing Canada, a CBSA E/E program report says, which was first reported by Blacklock’s Reporter on July 25.
“The E/E program has allowed for the Agency to further close the loop on travellers’ movements into and out of the country by collecting exit data in the land and air modes and matching it to existing traveller entry records,” the report says.
The federal government approved legislation in 2019, known as the Exit Information Regulations, to allow the CBSA to systematically collect exit information on all travellers leaving Canada, including Canadian citizens.
The E/E program is the first federal program in Canada to track citizens when they leave the country. Prior to establishing the E/E program in 2021, the federal government only kept track of information related to those entering the country, while the United States kept track of individuals exiting Canada at U.S.-Canada land borders.
Now, the CBSA receives information from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency at land borders shortly after a traveller enters the United States by vehicle. The agency receives information such as the traveller’s name, date of birth, and nationality.
The agency shares the collected data with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada; the RCMP; the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, the Canada Revenue Agency; and Employment and Social Development Canada.
A 2019 Regulatory Impact Analysis Statement said data on drivers entering and exiting Canada would be stored electronically for “no more than 15 years.” The statement said this would provide “the appropriate balance” between respecting travellers’ privacy rights while ensuring the CBSA has the required information to support its programs and activities, such as assessing duties and taxes and determining admissibility.
Public Opinion Survey
The CBSA conducted a survey in 2020 to collect findings on Canadians’ views of the the federal agency and its border management.
The survey indicated that 27 percent of Canadians said they had a “strongly positive” impression of the CBSA, a decrease from 36 percent in 2017. Quebec residents were the least likely to say they had a “strongly positive” view of the agency.
However, most Canadian said they were confident in the CBSA’s ability to adequately carry out tasks, including protecting collected personal information and identifying threats at the border before they enter Canada.
Meanwhile, only 26 percent of Canadians said they felt “very comfortable” with more personal information being collected by the CBSA, and 41 percent said they felt “somewhat comfortable.” A total of 33 percent said they were uncomfortable with increased personal data collection, with 21 percent saying they felt “not very comfortable” and 12 percent saying they were “not at all comfortable.”
Those who were more likely to indicate they were “very comfortable” with more personal data collection included those who are aware of the CBSA, NEXUS members, those who have travelled recently, those who travel frequently, and Quebec residents.
While some Canadians said they would not mind the collection of additional personal information if it was for their own benefit and a faster and smoother border-crossing experience, others were apprehensive about the idea and questioned how collecting more information would create a smoother crossing.
Some Canadians also expressed concerns about the type of personal information that would be collected, who would have access to their information, what it would be used for, and the risk of it being compromised.
European Union
Europe’s automated E/E system is set to begin in October this year, which will register travellers’ names, travel documents, biometric data including fingerprints and facial images, as well as the date and place of entry and exit when crossing an external European Union (EU) border. The system will also record refusals of entry and will replace the current system of manually stamping passports.
The program will apply to countries in the Schengen area, which includes Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.
The program is intended to strengthen border security within the EU and its neighbouring countries, and will automate border control checks. In 2026, the EU is expected to begin a new European Travel Information and Authorization System, which will collect personal information and details about travellers’ trips in order to be authorized to enter EU countries.
Olivia Gomm is a news reporter with the Canadian edition of The Epoch Times.