CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. — The Canada Border Services Agency has issued a statement informing individuals they can make complaints to the agency about officer conduct.
The Guardian received an e-mailed statement from the CBSA after publishing a story on Friday, detailing the experiences of Rae Gilman, a former owner of the Sherwood Motel, who was present during a raid by border guards on the motel in February 2016.
Gilman said he was distraught for months after witnessing CBSA officers conduct the raid, said he was “screamed at” by one of the agents and that the agents were armed with “the most aggressive weapons I had ever seen.”
In an e-mailed statement, Jennifer Morrison a communications employee at the Canada Border Services Agency, stated that CBSA officers are only issued a 9-mm Beretta PX4 Storm sidearm.
The e-mail stated the CBSA would not speak about the specifics of the Sherwood Motel raid due to privacy issues.
“We will note that should anyone feel that an interaction with a CBSA officer was not professional, courteous or respectful, they may submit a written complaint to the agency. We do recommend at all times that the person seek a manager at the time of the incident to resolve questions promptly,” Morrison said in the e-mail statement.
“All allegations of improper behaviour are investigated promptly and thoroughly, and appropriate follow-up action is taken.”
The CBSA said complaints can be sent to [email protected] or through a form on their website.
The statement also noted that the CBSA follows the “values and ethics of the Public Service of Canada.”
Last May, the CBSA laid three charges of aiding and abetting misrepresentation under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act against Ping Zhong and five charges against Yi Zhong, Ping’s brother. The CBSA claimed the siblings counselled several applicants under the business stream of P.E.I.’s provincial nominee program (PNP) to list the motel as a fake address.
CBSA said 566 people listed the motel as a permanent address between 2008 and 2015.
Lee Cohen, the lawyer representing the Zhong siblings, said Canadian immigration law does not require PNP participants to have a permanent address upon arrival in P.E.I. He said border officials often obtain addresses from new arrivals in order to send them permanent resident cards, which are an important piece of identification for new immigrants.
Search warrants filed by CBSA investigator Lana Hicks revealed that investigators began looking into the Sherwood Motel after an individual was questioned in relation to a suspected smuggled watch. In March of 2015, two individuals questioned at the Halifax International Airport in relation to this watch listed the address of the motel as their address.
Eight days of trial dates have been scheduled for the Zhong siblings beginning on Nov. 30 in Georgetown. The final date is set for Dec. 21.
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