Re: Should citizens and Prs be questioned by CBSA.
 

Good lord. Talking about a different approach to controlling border entry is entirely relevant to the thread. I talked about the UK as an example of a country that doesn't question its citizens on their return home.
As to whether I will answer questions, yes I will if I think they are germane to the thread. So far I haven't seen any that are.

Re: Should citizens and Prs be questioned by CBSA.
 

OK lets try a few easy ones

Do Canadian citizens and PRs bring back goods that are prohibited, controlled or restricted by law?
Do they declare these goods to CBSA when entering?
Do some of these goods pose a danger to citizens or the environment?
Where seizures of such goods have been found has everyone been found based on previous intelligence or information on the individual.
Do they have a stamp on their forehead stating I have such goods in my possession?
Why do we check for these goods?

Re: Should citizens and Prs be questioned by CBSA.
 

The point is not about whether the answer to these questions is yes or no but whether questioning of individuals at the border is essential to prevent illegal importation. Of course people try to 'smuggle' stuff, I never disupted this point.

Re: Should citizens and Prs be questioned by CBSA.
 

I find the whole issue of catching people with stuff they shouldn't have fascinating as it's so difficult to know which approachs work and which don't. This is well worth a read for example:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nezar_Hindawi

The key point being "No suspicious signs were revealed during her questioning.".

Re: Should citizens and Prs be questioned by CBSA.
 

It's a simple question yes, but I'm not really sure what you expect to gain by answering it. You have a job to do- fair enough. In my view, you have a responsibility to do that as respectfully as possible. However, on here you're coming across as a power hungry nerd, full of entitlement about what your "legal rights" are and about how good you think you are at your job.

No one really cares. People who bring in prohibited goods will continue to do so... even with your mind bending powers of interrogation.

Re: Should citizens and Prs be questioned by CBSA.
 

Thank you.
So how do you think we find these goods (well obviously physically finding them)? Can we actually see the narcotics that have been swallowed or stuffed into body crevices or packed on their body under clothing?
Can we see the firearms hidden in a door panel prior to removing it?

Its called asking questions that may or may not lead an inspection.
If you are returning from the UK with your family and have several suitcases and have been selected for an exam would you prefer that I look through each one or ask a few general questions about the type of goods you are importing and by the answers you give select only 3 to quickly look through.
I know you will counter by saying but what does my employment have to do with those then I agree nothing but in the case of suspected narcotics then it is relevant as are you aware that the vast majority of internal carriers of drugs into Canada are Canadian female single parents who are unemployed or earning minimum wage.
The courts in Ontario stopped sending them to jail as they deemed them vulnerable to crime groups who were recruiting them to bring in the goods and in the 1990s it was like shooting fish in a barrel for CBSA officers to pick them off. Admittedly not all of that demographic smuggle narcotics.
So simple questioning about type of job led to literally hundreds of arrests.
And again remember its not all CBSA officers asking you these questions.
So until a court rules on the types of questions we can ask then sorry to say its not going to change.

Re: Should citizens and Prs be questioned by CBSA.
 

http://metronews.ca/news/canada/1098...ntire-country/

Interesting. I wonder if the suspects are all Canadian single parent mums?

Re: Should citizens and Prs be questioned by CBSA.
 

No one really cares. People who bring in prohibited goods will continue to do so... even with your mind bending powers of interrogation.

So if no one really cares then why have us at the Border then?
Im sure I could find another job.
BTW if any of your family members become addicted to drugs that are not native to Canada or injured by a smuggled handgun then who are you going to want to blame?
Ouch yes that is a pretty strong statement but hey no one really cares I believe those are your words.

Re: Should citizens and Prs be questioned by CBSA.
 

I dont know why they have to question every single person. I think the UK system works well, I am sure they catch as many of the bad guys and girls as the Canadian BSO do. Perhaps they use some kind of profiling.

Landing at Pearson is a pain, you can stand in line some times for over an hour, only to answer the same questions that are on the card you fill in on the plane. I have had a few very unpleasant BSO's as Pearson and I dont see how I warranted the attitude that was dished out. I once got threatened to be sent to secondary, but she said on this occasion she wouldnt, as she didnt want to increase the work load of here colleagues further - whats that all about?

I am a woman in my late 50's who goes home to visit my daughters and grandchildren 3 times a year, what threat am I? surely there is a better way to weed out the bad guys/girls, or are they just trying to catch me out with an extra bottle of perfume that took me over my $450. I have never lied on that form, I always put down exactly what I have spent, if anything and have the receipts to hand in case they ask.

The BSO's at Pearson always look so miserable, perhaps its staring at that never decreasing line up that does it, who knows.

Re: Should citizens and Prs be questioned by CBSA.
 

I'm not sure which of my problems is intended here. I think the Canadian border people ask more questions than other border people but I don't lose sleep over it.

Re: Should citizens and Prs be questioned by CBSA.
 

Thank you a brief and concise answer.

Re: Should citizens and Prs be questioned by CBSA.
 

I will close my participation in this thread probably to the delight of the mods.
I have learnt that some people want us to question people entering Canada,
some really dont care and some think its uneccessary and some posters dont like me (thats ok as well) Im not losing sleep over it;)
For those of you who think they have been harrassed or treated unfairly you can complain to the supervisor on shift or write (email) your complaint by using the following link
http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/contact/com-eng.html

On behalf of the CBSA and myself I would like to thank you for using our service and hope you had a pleasant trip and we look forward to seeing you again. Thank you.

Re: Should citizens and Prs be questioned by CBSA.
 

I had a neat security question a couple of years ago when talking to VISA on the phone. There was an issue but I forget what it was. The guy ran through all the usual security questions and then out of the blue asked me what my star sign is. If you can't answer that one instantly, you're probably not who you say you are. I thought that was quite clever.

Re: Should citizens and Prs be questioned by CBSA.
 

I just threw up in my mouth a little bit.