CTA assembles biz coalition calling on Ottawa to increase CBSA funding

CTA: Members of the Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA) and the rest of the supply chain have experienced delays and other challenges bringing goods into Canada from the US because of recurring Canada Border Service Agency (CBSA) system degradation issues.

In response to the high frequency of these outages, CTA has invited a host of business associations on both sides of the border to join a coalition calling on federal cabinet ministers to deal with the growing problem by providing more funds to fix the system and increase CBSA’s staffing budget.

To date, 14 organizations have joined the coalition:

Canadian Association of Importers and Exporters; Council of Great Lakes Region; Association of International Customs and Border Agencies; Freight Management Association of Canada; Railway Association of Canada; Responsible Distribution Canada; Canadian Chamber of Commerce; Canadian Vehicle Manufactures Association; International Trade Gateway Association; Can/Am BTA; Canadian Manufactures and Exporters; Buffalo and Fort Erie Public Bridge Authority and the American Trucking Associations.

“The coalition believes many of these issues can be resolved by investing capital in the CBSA’s IT systems and additional staffing,” said CTA president Stephen Laskowski. “While we all understand that a funding infusion is not an insignificant step, our recent experiences show that the economic consequences of not making this investment are much greater.”

In a recent meeting with CTA, CBSA outlined a strategy to stabilize the system so that northbound transactions move efficiently as possible.

While CTA will be monitoring this process for immediate improvements, the coalition will continue its attempts to persuade the federal government that long-term solutions are only possible with increased funding.

If carriers want to get involved in raising awareness with federal cabinet officials of these CBSA system degradation issues, please click here.