PCs target border hour cuts

WINNIPEG — Tory MLAs representing ridings along the Manitoba-U.S. border are urging Premier Wab Kinew to stand up to Ottawa as a dozen border crossings are set for cuts to their operating hours early in the new year.

Doyle Piwiniuk (Turtle Mountain), Josh Guenter (Borderland) and Konrad Narth (La Verendrye) sent a letter to the premier Friday, concerned the Canadian Border Services Agency’s plan to shift its officers to busier ports of entry will only invite more illegal activity at smaller crossings and put additional strain on legitimate trade and commerce.

“The best staff to have on the border are the trained CBSA officers that are there now,” says the letter obtained by the Winnipeg Free Press.

In a release Monday, the Progressive Conservative caucus said the proposed changes threaten the “economic and social fabric” of border communities in the province, suggesting that thousands of Manitobans rely on evening access to the ports for business, essential services and community events.

The CBSA issued notice in November that it intends to adjust hours of service at 35 land ports of entry across the country beginning Jan. 6. More than a third of the crossings are in Manitoba.

CBSA spokeswoman Rebecca Purdy told the Free Press that changes to crossing times help align the hours with the adjacent American sites.

“Better alignment of service hours between Canadian and U.S. ports of entry enhances the overall security of the border and allows both countries to return inadmissible travellers and goods to the other country, which is more difficult when one side of the border is closed while the other remains open,” Purdy said.

Earlier this month, Kinew announced that his government would be shifting an unspecified number of conservation officers to the international border, responding to U.S. president-elect Donald Trump’s threat to impose 25 per cent trade tariffs on all imports from Canada unless the country addresses concerns about illegal border crossings and illicit drug activity.

Kinew has warned the impact on Canada’s economy would be severe if Trump followed through with the threat.

Ottawa has committed $1.3 billion to bolstering border security.

The PCs don’t believe that goes far enough and say calls for an all-party committee to address U.S. trade and border security concerns have fallen on deaf ears.

» Winnipeg Free Press

“We all know criminals don’t just operate from nine to five,” Piwiniuk said. “So why isn’t the premier fighting to keep these border crossings open in the evening to deter illegal activity and ensure vital cross-border access and services are maintained for communities near the border?”

A provincial government spokesperson said Monday a secure border “is more important than ever” with a coming Trump administration, which is why Manitoba has enlisted the help of conservation officers and other enforcement options in developing a patrol plan. The province has also asked the federal government to redeploy RCMP officers.

“Manitoba continues to urge the federal government to listen to Manitobans who use this crossing to access essential services, businesses that sell their goods to those down south, or families who will be separated from one another,” the spokesperson said.

» Winnipeg Free Press