On May 19, 2017, representatives from 12 organizations across the business sector all signed a letter, ”Investments in Our Borders”, that called upon the Canadian Federal Government to increase Canada Border Services Agency’s funding and resources to resolve the urgent problems related to the CBSA’s antiquated IT system.
Twelve major business sector associations signed the letter that was addressed to six federal cabinet ministers. It pointed to long-standing cross-border trade problems, such as major delays and shutdowns due to the CBSA’s antiquated IT system. The letter also stressed the huge loss to Canadian businesses involved in cross-border trade with the USA and to the Canadian economy due to lost productivity brought about by the combination of staffing shortfalls and IT technical issues at the CBSA.
The letter requested that “the Treasury Board of Canada increase CBSA’s budget as soon as possible to fix CBSA IT issues and add the staff required to help facilitate trade at the border” and stated that action is “urgently needed”.
Read the full letter here.