Conservatives Demand Answers on Airport Security While Transport Canada Promises Better
OTTAWA — With Canada preparing to welcome the world as the FIFA World Cup draws near, the Tories are demanding answers on how seriously the government is taking airport security.
In the wake of last week’s report by CTV’s W5 on baggage tampering at Canadian airports in service of illegal drug smuggling, Conservative Transport Critic Dan Albas put the query to the government during question period on Monday.
“Given the Transport Minister’s silence on this brazen security failure, Canadians want to know — with the FIFA games set to start in weeks and over a billion dollars committed to security, if the Liberals won’t be taking this seriously now, why would Canadians believe they ever will?” Albas said in the House of Commons on Monday.
W5‘s report uncovered over a dozen cases of passengers arrested for drug smuggling over the past year, after behind-the-scenes airport employees allegedly switched their luggage tags with those containing illegal narcotics.
While the report stated those accused were later released, innocent people still found themselves taken into custody over the allegations.
Government Spending Billions to Bolster Security: Anandasangaree
In response to Albas’ question, Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree maintained that the safety and security of all Canadians remain a top priority for the government.
“Canadian law enforcement work closely with airport authorities, airlines, border agencies and international counterparts to detect criminal activity, protect travelers, and disrupt organized crime networks involved in drug trafficking,” the minister said, while avoiding the main elements of Albas’ question.
“At least six arrests related to luggage tag swapping have been made by the RCMP. We continue to invest in law enforcement, Mr. Speaker.”
Anandasangaree said the government is spending $1.3 billion over six years to bolster border security — split across five key government agencies including the RCMP, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), the Communications Security Establishment (CSE), Health Canada and Public Safety Canada.
This funding, according to data provided by the federal government, will support the hiring of 1,000 new CBSA officers, 1,000 new RCMP members directly related to front-line border enforcement, and the purchasing of new Black Hawk helicopters, drones and mobile surveillance towers for border patrols.
Transport Canada Responds
In a statement to the Toronto Sun, Transport Canada said Canadians expect their airports and aviation system to be safe, secure, and held to the highest standards.
“Any weaknesses in the system will be identified and addressed quickly to maintain the high level of security Canadians expect and deserve,” the statement read.
Canada’s aviation security system, the statement said, is built on multiple layers of protection, oversight and continuous monitoring, and that maintaining public confidence requires constant vigilance and strong coordination among all partners.
“We continue to work closely with airport authorities, CATSA, police of jurisdiction, and other partners to address risks and strengthen security measures,” the statement read.
“This includes strengthening oversight and compliance, reviewing security screening and access control procedures, and ensuring security rules are applied consistently across the system.”
