At the border crossings of Chartierville, Highwater (Potton) and Frelighsburg, it’s almost the same thing: a barrier and cones replace border service agents throughout the night. On site, no sign indicates that the border is closed, nor at what time it will reopen.
Border services agents in Frelighsburg lower the barriers and put up orange cones to block the way for motorists and truckers. Further down the road, we see the US customs building, which also closes at the same time.
(Stéphane Champagne/La Voix de l’Est)
This is the solution put in place since the Canada Border Services Agency decided to reduce the opening hours of ten land border crossings in Quebec.
Yannir Waknine, vice-president of the Customs and Immigration Union, can’t believe it. “We are in Canada and this is what we have to protect our border! It’s ridiculous! It’s really embarrassing!” he says, exasperated.
Arriving at the Highwater border crossing in Estrie, there is no sign clearly indicating that the border is closed, no indication of opening and closing times: only closed barriers, flashing lights and orange cones. (Marie-Christine Bouchard/Les Coops de l’information)
A measure that makes people cringe
This decision shocks both citizens and truckers, who find themselves making long detours. For the latter, the early closure of customs can mean the difference between returning home for the night or another night on the road.
As for citizens, many cross the border regularly, particularly to work. In Potton, for example, some Canadian citizens work in the United States and vice versa. With customs closed from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m., they will sometimes have to take a long detour to get to work or home, explains the municipality’s mayor, Bruno Côté.
But what worries us most is national security.
“If smugglers want to smuggle drugs or weapons, why bother going through the woods when a nice, unguarded route is available?” protests Yannir Waknine, from the Customs and Immigration Union.
US customs in Chartierville had been closed at night since the pandemic. The Americans had therefore already installed barriers to block access to their customs. Today, this metal barrier, which is closed with a padlock, also protects the Canadian border (Jean Roy/La Tribune)
The Border Services Agency justifies the reduction in opening hours by better allocation of resources. In other words, concentrate agents at the busiest positions.
Last week, the Agency said it had put in place “temporary measures” to secure these entry points closed at night, while saying it was working on “more permanent solutions”.
“I know very well that it is not the busiest customs office in the country, and the investments clearly go with it,” mentions Denis Dion, mayor of Chartierville.
“There are lights, cameras. Of course, it doesn’t necessarily seem very solid… If someone really wants to pass, I think there is a way to pass,” said the mayor of Potton, Bruno Côté.
-The mayor of Saint-Herménégilde went to see the installation early one morning. He didn’t come very close. “Before, it was easy to cross the border. Now it’s complicated. I approached, I looked, I felt that people were looking at me and wondering what I was doing there, and I left,” said Steve Lanciaux.
But for the moment, the mayors of border municipalities note relative calm. Some believe that a migratory wave would have already started, if it were to take place. Others fear the calm before the storm.
Bruno Côté, mayor of Potton, is confident for the moment. He observes that the RCMP seems more present than ever. “Those who cross illegally are not going to choose a road under lights and cameras, even if it is paved. If they want to cross the border, people risk continuing to do so in the woods. And there, in any case, it is the RCMP which must act.”
What about aerial surveillance? Do RCMP helicopters often fly over the border between Estrie and the United States? Not really, the mayors reply, “from time to time”.
It’s up to the RCMP to take over
In Canada, border agents can only intervene on border services grounds. Outside of this well-defined restricted zone, the RCMP takes over.
In the United States, US Customs and Border Protection (USCBP) works differently: their agents can patrol outside border crossings. By closing border crossings, the Americans therefore gain flexibility to patrol the entire territory and watch over unguarded roads.
The Chartierville border crossing is closed from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m., forcing residents and truckers to take a very long detour if they wish to return to the country during this period. (Jean Roy/La Tribune)
“I was told that when American customs closes, a USCBP car is often found near the border,” reports Denis Dion, mayor of Chartierville.
But on the Canadian side, customs officers reassigned elsewhere cannot pursue intruders. This is the work of the RCMP, which has so far refused to comment on this reorganization.
The federal police claim to have strengthened their surveillance since the fall. A national contingency plan would make it possible to quickly mobilize agents, if necessary.
And their preparation is felt on the ground. “Since November, we have had a lot of follow-up from the RCMP,” explains the mayor of Potton, Bruno Côté.
A host of measures
Ottawa announced an investment of $1.3 billion over the next three years to curb illegal cross-border activities.
The RCMP, Canada Border Services Agency and other agencies have already deployed 60 new drones along the border. Additional monitoring towers and new technologies, such as x-rays, mobile x-rays and portable chemical analyzers will be purchased shortly. Additional dog teams and helicopters will be added to the borders.
The Canada Border Services Agency also hired 350 people.
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