| NOTE:
Versions of this article also appeared in the Edmonton Sun, Calgary Sun,
London Free Press, Toronto Sun and the Winnipeg Sun.
PUBLICATION:
The Ottawa Sun DATE: 2005.03.23 EDITION: Final SECTION: News PAGE: 7 BYLINE: MARIA MCCLINTOCK, PARLIAMENTARY BUREAU -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 25,000 WEAPONS SEIZED AT BORDER -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- More than 25,000 prohibited weapons, including 5,446 guns, were seized by Canada Customs officers at the U.S. border over a five-year period, a government report shows. The Canada Border Service report, obtained by the Sun, shows that of the guns seized, 2,010 were prohibited firearms. Another 20,129 prohibited weapons, such as mace and switchblades, were also seized. Over the past five years, customs officers seized 1,313 guns and 9,932 other prohibited weapons at border crossings in southern Ontario. Liberal Sen. Colin Kenny, the chairman of the Senate national defence and security committee, which has been studying border security, said Canadians should be concerned about the stats. "The fact that the border service has stopped that number of guns ... is a testament to the good work that they do, but we'll never know what they missed," said Kenny, whose committee will release a report on border security in six weeks. UNDERSTAFFED He also said Canada Customs is understaffed and isn't getting sufficient back-up from the RCMP to deal with high-risk cases. "We hear that police at night are understaffed as well, and that there is a small number of them near the border," Kenny said. Customs and Excise Union vice-president Jean-Pierre Fortin believes the figures are on the conservative side. "These numbers keep going up ... the border is getting more and more violent," he said. "If you connect those with the 1,600 cars blowing by Canada Customs booths, you can bet that maybe 10% of those vehicles have something in their cars." Conservative MP Garry Breitkreuz said border security has to be tightened up. "From anecdotal reports I've had from police officers ... I believe there's a tremendous amount of illegal substances crossing both ways." HOW MANY AND WHERE Here's a regional breakdown of where guns were
seized by Canada Customs 2000-04: Other prohibited
weapons seized: |