The federal government will fund the hiring of 1,000 new Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) officers in its upcoming November budget, Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree announced Friday. The initiative, costing $617.7 million over five years, is part of Ottawa’s plan to crack down on drug trafficking, illegal gun smuggling, and the surge in stolen vehicles crossing the border.
Speaking at the Rainbow International Bridge crossing, Anandasangaree said the new personnel will significantly boost Canada’s border enforcement. “This will greatly enhance our capability at the borders, ports of entry as well as enforcement within Canada,” he told reporters.
While the minister initially referred to the hires as “personnel” and clarified that not all would be officers, the Prime Minister’s Office later confirmed the funding will indeed support 1,000 new CBSA officers. The announcement also included a long-awaited increase in the weekly stipend for CBSA recruits, raising it from $125 to $525 — the first hike in two decades.
The government plans to make legislative changes to allow frontline officers to retire after 25 years of service, regardless of age, a move aimed at improving recruitment and retention. The new funding follows other security measures revealed ahead of the fall budget, including plans to hire 1,000 RCMP personnel, with 150 dedicated to combating money laundering, organized crime, and online fraud.
Anandasangaree pushed back against suggestions that the new measures were a response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s repeated claims about fentanyl flowing from Canada. “This really is about enforcing Canada’s safety and security and our sovereignty,” he said. “This really is not a response to the U.S.”
The Liberal government has faced political turbulence over its border security agenda. Its original border bill, C-2, stalled amid opposition concerns over civil liberties, forcing the government to introduce a revised version, C-12, without some of the more controversial measures. Anandasangaree expressed confidence that C-12 would pass, while acknowledging the Liberals will “do some work” to secure support for C-2.
Conservative MPs have criticized the government for delays in hiring. During a parliamentary committee hearing earlier this month, Public Safety critic Frank Caputo pressed Anandasangaree for exact numbers on how many RCMP and CBSA hires had been made so far. When the minister declined to provide figures, Caputo shot back, “That is a zero, I take it then, because you wouldn’t give us a number.”
The hiring plan comes as Ottawa seeks to strengthen border security amid political pressure at home and trade tensions with Washington. The federal budget is set to be tabled on November 4.