Question Period Note: Firearms from the United States

o The flow of prohibited firearms coming from the United States.

• With the Border Plan, we are bolstering our frontline and ensuring that officers have the tools and technology they need to continue to interdict illicit drugs and illegal firearms.

• Over the last five years, over 3,000 firearms from the United States (U.S.) have been seized at our border. In 2024 alone, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) seized more than 930 firearms – 90% of which came from the U.S.

• The CBSA works with domestic and U.S. law enforcement partners in a joint effort to investigate, prevent criminal activity, seize guns and protect our communities.

o As part of its mandate, the CBSA controls the movement of firearms, weapons and other devices to ensure compliance with existing laws, regulations and orders, including the Customs Act, the Firearms Act and the Criminal Code.
o The CBSA actively participates in firearm-related criminal investigations with a border nexus, including joint investigations alongside domestic and international law enforcement partners, including the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and other Canadian police agencies, provincial and territorial governments, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Homeland Security Investigations, and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in a joint effort prevent and prohibit those who engage in criminal activity from entering Canada. The Agency regularly shares relevant information on border and national security issues with its national and international law enforcement partners as well as other government departments in Canada, to ensure the health, safety, and security of Canadians.
o Border security and integrity is a shared mandate between the CBSA and the RCMP in Canada. The CBSA is responsible for enforcing the law at designated ports of entry in Canada and the RCMP is responsible for enforcing Canadian legislation between ports of entry. The CBSA is also working with federal government partners, provincial, territorial and Indigenous communities, as well as local law enforcement agencies to ensure a coordinated approach to border security.
o In March 2023, the CBSA signed an information sharing Memorandum of Understanding with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives that enables efficient and direct information sharing between both organizations including information relating to the origins of seized firearms. The CBSA has a policy to trace 100% of firearms seized at the border. Where serial numbers have been removed, altered or obliterated, efforts are made to restore the serial number with partner assistance. In 2024, the U.S. was the main source of firearms seized by the CBSA, with approximately 90% of all successful traces leading back to U.S. purchasers or retailers.
o On April 29, 2024, the Agency appointed an Executive Director for Combatting Firearms Smuggling to bolster our considerable efforts and recent successes. The Executive Director, located in the CBSA’s Greater Toronto Area Region, helps coordinate and lead our Agency-wide efforts against illegal firearms smuggling and to create more direct linkages between headquarters, frontline operations, and domestic and international partners. The Executive Director for Combatting Firearms Smuggling is working closely with U.S. partners to improve information sharing aimed at building greater intelligence and investigative leads around persons and organized crime groups attempting to exploit our shared border.
o The CBSA screens all goods entering Canada, including international mail shipments, to make sure they are properly declared and meet import requirements. The CBSA processes international mail at three processing centres in Vancouver, Toronto or Montreal, in addition to goods arriving by courier. The CBSA prioritizes investigating cases where a cross-border interception suggests smuggling or other criminal intent such as the unauthorized manufacturing of guns in Canada. As smugglers are increasingly using more sophisticated concealment methods in smuggling attempts, the CBSA employs a number of tools and tradecraft to stem the flow of illegal and prohibited materials into Canada. Guided by intelligence, our officers are also assisted by contraband detection tools such as handheld devices, small scale and large-scale X-ray machines, and detector dogs. Their specialized training, expertise and knowledge, in detecting contraband and prohibited or restricted goods, allows them to always be on the lookout for dangerous goods.
o The CBSA continues ongoing review and analysis of seizures of firearms, prohibited weapons and devices occurring in/or destined to Canada to help identify trends and indicators to assist with targeting. Intelligence personnel focus their efforts on priority files based on a number of indicators, and facilitate referrals to the Criminal Investigations Division where appropriate. This work also includes a focus on education and compliance with respect to importers/consignees in the postal and courier areas. The CBSA also has different teams that work together and play specific roles in the detection and interception of firearms and contraband:
o The Intelligence and Investigations Program teams play a key role in identifying border risks. Intelligence activities are conducted to identify, entities of interest to the CBSA in connection with organized crime, human smuggling and immigration, fraud, terrorism and other violations of the Customs Act and Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.
o The targeting program team identifies individuals and goods bound for Canada that may pose a threat to the safety and security of the country by using a number of automated pre-arrival information sources.
o The National Firearms Intelligence Desk team, was created in 2021 to maintain a real-time picture of illicit gun threats in Canada and their movement across our borders.
o The Criminal Investigations Program supports organized crime disruption and combats firearm smuggling by employing a variety of investigative techniques to identify, interdict and prosecute entities seeking to exploit the border, conducting successful investigations across the country, both independently and through integrated teams involving other law enforcement agencies.

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