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1. Values and Ethics
at the
Canada Border
Services Agency
Workshop
Trade and Customs Partnership to Fight
Against Corruption
& Safeguard Integrity
South Africa
April 3, 2007

2. 2
Purpose of Presentation
Provide organizational context about
CBSA
Describe the roles and responsibilities of
the Values & Ethics (V&E) Program
within the CBSA organization
Provide a brief overview of the V&E
Program at the CBSA

3. 3
Agency Mandate
• Agency created in December 2003 as part of
reorganization of Government of Canada
• An Act to Establish the Canada Border Services
Agency came into force on December 12, 2005
• The Agency is responsible for providing integrated
border services that support national security and
public safety priorities and facilitate the free flow of
persons and goods, including animals and plants
that meet all requirements under the program
legislation
• Part of the Public Safety portfolio

4. 4
CBSA Mission,
Mission and Values
• Mission
– To ensure the security and prosperity of Canada
by managing the access of people and goods to
and from Canada
• Vision
– A smart border, a smart organization
• Values
– Integrity
– Respect
– Professionalism

5. 5
• Approximately 13,000 employees (over 7,200 uniformed staff
in the regions)
• Provides services at approximately 1,200 points across Canada
and 39 locations abroad
• Manages 119 land border crossings
• Operates on a 24/7 basis at:
– 61 land border crossings; and
– nine international airports.
• Marine operations at three major ports: Halifax (Nova Scotia),
Montreal (Quebec) and Vancouver (British Columbia)
• Administers more than 90 Acts and Regulations on behalf of
other departments and agencies
Operating Environment

6. 6
International Dimension
• CBSA promoting implementation of the World Customs
Organization (WCO) Framework of Standards to Secure and
Facilitate Global Trade (SAFE); coordinating capacity building
activities with WCO Secretariat and other donors such as United
States
• As WCO Vice-Chair of the Americas and the Caribbean, the CBSA
is promoting enhanced communication and integrity in Customs
management via its capacity building activities, including
delivering national and regional integrity workshops in
cooperation with the WCO
• Canada very active in international institutions dealing with
immigration enforcement issues, such as the Inter-Governmental
Consultations on Asylum, Refugee and Migration Policies, the
Four-Country Conference, and the G8

7. 7
Canadian Public Service
Values and Ethics Framework
Overall Legislations and Guiding Principles:
Values and Ethics Code for the Public Service
Conflict of Interest Measures
Post-Employment Measures
Public Service Employment Act
Policy on the Prevention and Resolution of
Harassment in the Workplace
Proactive Public Disclosure
Political Activity
Public Service Disclosure Protection Act
(soon to come into force)

8. 8
CBSA Values and Ethics (V&E)
Program Objectives
To ensure CBSA meets all legislated
requirements with respect to V&E.
To promote and enhance the ethical
behaviour of employees and the
organization, thereby enhancing the
ethical culture at CBSA.

9. 9
Roles & Responsibilities
within the V&E Program
CBSA President
Vice President
Strategy & Coordination
Senior Ethics Official /
Senior Internal Disclosure Officer
Vice-President
Human Resources Branch
National
V&E Advisors
Regional
V&E Network
Manages the Labour relations,
CBSA Code of Conflict,
Disciplinary Policy,
Administration of Conflict of
Interest and anti-Harassment
Policies
Experts, developers, promoters and
advocates of the program
Actively work with Human Resources and
Internal Affair Unit counterparts to address
Issues raised to Senior Ethics Official
Vice-President
Comptrollership Branch
Internal Affairs Unit
Currently also V&E
Agency Champion
Do Formal Investigations
Help identify the V&E Program
requirements, disseminate
information, and promote values and
ethics throughout the organization

10. 10
Raise awareness
Educate all employees and managers in all
sectors of activity
Provide customized tools
Provide scheme for evaluating the effectiveness
of the V&E Program
Expected CBSA V&E
Program Outcomes

11. 11
Implement Public Servants Disclosure
Protection Act (soon to come into force)
 Ensures CBSA resources and structures are in
place to support implementation of new legislation
 Communicate roles and responsibilities through
V&E Program initiatives
Elements of CBSA
V&E Action Plan

12. 12
V&E Awareness Campaign
 Promote V&E Program across the organization at a
National level
 Use mechanisms such as: presentations in all
Regions; develop Intranet site; and issue national
messages/newsletters
 Discuss ethical dilemmas faced by staff at all levels
Elements of CBSA
V&E Action Plan (cont’d)

13. 13
V&E Education and Training
 Integration of V&E modules in Border Services Officer
13-week orientation/recruit training
 Continue to design, develop, and roll-out V&E
education and training products for all sectors of
activities and levels (e.g. managers and staff)
 Integration of one-day pilot integrity awareness
session into national education strategy for Border
Services Officers
V&E Toolkits
 Provide V&E toolkits tailored for managers &
employees
Elements of CBSA
V&E Action Plan (cont’d)

14. 14
Fostering partnerships within the Public
Safety Portfolio
 Exchange information, expertise and
experience with other government entities
that share similar mandates
 Some of these entities are: Royal Canadian
Mounted Police, Correctional Services Canada
and the Canadian Security and Intelligence
Service
Elements of CBSA
V&E Action Plan (cont’d)

15. 15
Background Checks and Security
Screening
 CBSA Senior Management evaluating
options related to:
 enhancing background checks of new
recruits and existing staff
 the appropriateness of existing security
clearance levels
Elements of CBSA
V&E Action Plan (cont’d)

16. 16
Resources dedicated to National V&E Program
(2xNational Senior V&E Advisors)
Creation of CBSA Code of Conduct
Integration of V&E modules in Border Services
Officer recruit training
Completion of pilot project - one-day integrity
awareness session
Creation of V&E Intranet site
CBSA V&E
Achievements to Date

17. 17
Creation of CBSA integrity case studies
Initial analysis related to the security clearance
and background check issue
CBSA Senior Management meetings always
have some discussions/focus on V&E
CBSA surveyed its employees in 2005, of
which a substantial section of the survey was
focused on V&E
CBSA V&E
Achievements to Date (cont’d)

18. 18
 Review existing V&E Program governance
 Develop performance framework to determine and
monitor program effectiveness
 Enhance program based on feedback from V&E Network
and employee surveys
 Work with other government departments and forums
such as GFV to gather best practices for possible
application within the Agency
 Continue our open dialogue with Private Sector and other
external stakeholders via our advisory committees, which
demonstrates the Agency’s dedication to integrity
Ongoing Activities

19. 19
CBSA Capacity Building
Regarding Integrity Programs
• In June 2006, Canada was elected Vice-Chair of
the WCO Council and Representative of the
Americas and the Caribbean Region (Vice-Chair).
• As the Government of Canada lead on border
management issues, CBSA is responsible for
advancing the Vice-Chair strategic objectives,
including those linked to integrity in partnership
with regional members

20. 20
Vice-Chair Americas &
Caribbean Region Commitments
• Enhance the promotion of Customs
integrity
• Encourage the utilization of WCO
integrity development tools, activities &
other information
• Foster regional communication and
cooperation

21. 21
 Border management organizations need a robust
integrity program
 An effective program will permit us to offer a favourable
working environment, thereby allowing us to position
ourselves as an employer of choice
 An effective program is an ongoing activity and not a
short term project – V&E needs becomes an integral part
of the organizational culture and all decisions made
 V&E is a high priority for CBSA
 Integrity programs are a key element of the CBSA
capacity building activities, as well as opportunities to
learn from each other
Conclusion