RCMP 'not required' during border walkout

Last Updated: Monday, September 25, 2006 | 2:29 PM PT

CBC News

RCMP officers were called to the Canada-U.S. border crossing south of
Vancouver Sunday after a walkout by border guards - but were told they
weren't needed.

About 60 guards left their posts at the Pacific Highway, Douglas, Aldergrove
and Huntington crossings at about 2 p.m. Sunday after an alert was issued
that an armed and dangerous man from California was planning to cross the
border into Canada.

The RCMP officers were called to investigate the threat level at the Pacific
Highway crossing, but Faith St. John, spokesperson for the Canada Border
Services Agency, said a risk assessment determined "that an armed presence
wasn't required there."

The Mounties were also sent away after a short visit to the Huntington
crossing, St. John said.

Supervisors took over most posts, but motorists had to line up for more than
three hours to get into Canada at some crossings.

George Scott, vice-president of the Customs Excise Union, said if police had
stayed, his members might have felt safe enough to stay on the job. However,
he said, that would have depended on where the police officers were
stationed.

Ordered back to work

Guards at the four border crossings were ordered to return to their posts
after Human Resources and Social Development, the federal department that
handles labour, ruled early Monday morning that it was safe for them to
return to work.

Workers are required to follow orders from HRSD, even if they think the
conditions are not safe, Dan Leibel, president of the B.C. southern branch
of the Customs Excise Union, told CBC News from Roosville, B.C.

But Leibel said the guards would prefer to be armed so that they could deal
with any potentially dangerous situations that come their way. The walkout
by B.C. border guards is the third in the past year.

"We are willing to stay at work if we are issued sidearms," Leibel said.

Arming border guards could take years

The federal government has promised to begin putting guns in border guards'
hands by September 2007, but Prime Minister Stephen Harper said last month
it could be 10 years before all of the guards are armed.

Scott said he would also like to see a dedicated, armed border patrol
similar to the American model, with trained tactical officers ready to
support customs officers whenever someone armed and dangerous is headed for
Canada.

The Canada Border Services Agency plans to review the incident.

"After any kind of event there is always an analysis of what went well and
what didn't go well and what can be improved upon," St. John said. "I'm sure
this is going to be a topic of discussion and we'll be looking at our
procedures and trying to find a way to improve our performance if there is
another incident."

The union is also calling for a backup plan to prevent delays the next time
a dangerous situation happens.