NATIONAL OFFICE MEMORANDUM
NO-39-2009

Sisters and Brothers,

As you may be aware, CBSA  is in the midst of conducting an internal review aimed at validating/invalidating the Bona Fide Occupational Requirements (BFOR) for Control and Defensive Tactics (CDT) and arming for certain duties performed by CBSA Officers. Accordingly, CBSA has retained the services of Mr. Richard Grounds, a Lawyer from British Columbia, for the purpose of conducting this third party review.  Mr. Ground’s mandate is to examine whether CDT and arming are reasonably necessary to perform all duties and, if not, how the workplace or the duties themselves could be modified to allow a person with recommended training the capability of performing these duties.

The core of this review took the form of site visits to various modes of operation which included visits to British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, Nova Scotia, and Québec. After a site visit and review of the operation and facilities, Mr. Grounds conducted both group and one-on-one interviews with Union Representatives, Managers, and Members from all point-of-entry modes (land border, marine, air, postal), as well as with Investigators, Inland Enforcement Officers, Intelligence Officers, and Duty Firearm Instructors.

CIU Labour Relations Office, Sister Laurel Randle, and myself accompanied the third party reviewer along with CBSA managers for most of the site visits which took place within a very aggressive travel schedule which began November 26th and ended December 16th. For those of you who didn’t have an opportunity to speak to Mr. Grounds and who would like to make a submission, we encourage you to do so as this is a fundamentally important review. Mr. Grounds can be emailed directly at cbsaitpr@telus.net or you may contact him at his Office at 250-743-7927.

We would like to thank the CIU Representatives from each of the affected Branches who took the time to come and meet Laurel and myself and be interviewed as this represented a great opportunity for us to meet with members and representatives.

In Solidarity,

Karen Church
CIU Equal Opportunity Representative