Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Investigation #1 - The CBSA review

The CBSA report was one of four probes, including a provincial public inquiry, into the death of Robert Dziekanski on Oct. 14.

Alain Jolicoeur reported the results of the CBSA investigation.

  • No one from the CBSA has spoken to Dziekanski's family since the death, or offered an apology.
  • No one will be disciplined, because the investigation found no wrongdoing.
  • 30 officers were on shift at the time, but no one could find Dziekanski when a family call came through asking for his whereabouts, because they assumed he would be in the secondary investigation area.
  • When the call came, no one checked to see that he had actually passed through primary investigation three hours earlier, even though that information should have been available.
The report acknowledged the following failures.


  • CBSA lost track of Dziekanski for more than six hours. According to a timeline issued by CBSA, Dziekanski arrived at 3:20 p.m., passed primary inspection at 4:09 p.m. and wasn't again identified until 10:40 p.m., when he tried to exit the CBSA hall.
  • (when he tried to exit the hall) a CBSA officer advised him he needed to go to secondary, and directed him toward that area (but) Mr. Dziekanski spoke little or no English and a Polish interpreter was not readily available.
  • A call from Dziekanski's family was made at 7 p.m. to CBSA, but they couldn't confirm that Dziekanski had made it through primary inspection.

I suppose the conclusion is the CBSA processes are busted if in spite of the individuals' best efforts a man died on their watch.

Here's the recommendations by the CBSA to remedy the system.

  • more cameras,
  • improved interpreter services
  • the option of more patrols and security checks within the CBSA secure area at Vancouver International Airport.
  • people referred for further examinations will report to the secondary examination area within a "reasonable amount of time,"
  • stepped-up patrols and better communication between travellers and those awaiting their arrival.

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Mr. Dziekanski never even saw a green blade of grass of this country. All he saw was the inside of a cold airport and cold hearted people. We must NEVER forget this man and we must make sure that all involved are punished to the full extent of the law.

Anonymous said...

Here's the recommendations by the CBSA to remedy the system.

Wonderful, that our public "servants" are looking out for us.

* more cameras - what, isn't the airport already blanketed with these?
* improved interpreter services - a nice idea in theory, but people entering a country on their own should expect that a bit of the native language should be required. Why should the taxpayer pay for interpreters for every Tom, Dick and Habiz who fly into town?
* the option of more patrols and security checks within the CBSA secure area at Vancouver International Airport. - Patrols are only as effective as the drones making the rounds.
* people referred for further examinations will report to the secondary examination area within a "reasonable amount of time," - And what the hell, exactly, does that mean to a bureaucrat?
* stepped-up patrols and better communication between travellers and those awaiting their arrival. - More government noise.

Whitewash. Idle talk. Business as usual.

Unknown said...

...this is the most blatant covering up of a involuntary manslaughter I have ever seen.

- and by a cop to boot.

Editor In Chief said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Editor In Chief said...

OK, new comment.

I have a recommendation-abolish the CBSA and all it's checkpoints throughout Canada.

Every action this agency undertakes is an infringement upon our liberty. If the CBSA was not in existence, Dziekanski would have walked off the plane, met his mother and gone straight to Kamloops.

There is no justification for this agency's existence. Time to put all the CBSA employees who suck off the wealth of taxpayers out of work.

Samsara said...

THIS is a tragedy; a miscarriage of justice. Anytime someone is tasered and death is a result - there is wrongdoing.

my heart aches for his family. i have had more than a few tears of reading different aspects of this man's SENSELESS death.

i could cry right now as I type this in the comment box. I have anger and sadness and I wish I had the power to go back in time and be there and stop this.

I am nobody, though. I am an American citizen, mediocre writer, activist for justice and a proponent for people who have no voice.

I HAVE, however, written an article on Taser use here. Grateful to my friend for mentioning Robert's name and linking to this website is how I found this memorial dedicated to bringing justice and reform.

Hopefully it can do something - just as this memorial on the internet can do something for Robert's death. Perhaps it can prevent more.

Anonymous said...

i believe there are a number of failings here. yes the way the police handled it was deplorable but you cannot simple put all the blame on a uniform. this man was not 'scared' and needing help, this man had clearly totally lost the plot mentally and was throwing furniture around. it also seems he was unable to read or take instruction even in broken polish. why then was this person admitted to canada as a resident in the first place? that is a failing of canada's immigration services. finally his family have to take some responsibility for what happened here. they knew him better than anybody and if he had a delicate state of mind, why was he not escorted to canada? and why did his family leave the airport? these comments might seem harsh but you have to be totally realistic, unbiased and truthful. there were multiple failings here which ended with tragic consequences. putting all blame on the police and authorities however is an easy option.

Anonymous said...

I recently have seen documentary on this story on the news and want to offer condolences to his mother and family. I understand the frustration he was having, i am imigrant too and the people in air port when i move here were cold and ignorant, not good welcome to this great country. poor man lost in strange place alone, horrible miscarrage of the justice and i hope thoes involved and responsible will face servere legal actions, bullies do not deserve to wear the uniform of such an important and proud job (the police), and thoes officers involved were bullies as proved on the video.

Marijka

Anonymous said...

Hey people, if he threw furniture, how could they get close enough to him to shoot the tasers? They could have HELD him. Just hold - with hands, you know.

I can't believe this. I am an immigrant too. Central European, came to Toronto via Frankfurt. 5 years ago. Guess what? I did speak English. There was no sufficient signage but, well, I found my way to immigration counters. It's behind customs.

It is so terrible, and I am sad and angry. Poor Robert. Can't imagine how his mother must be feeling still. And everyone who knew him.

They murdered him. OK. They didn't even try to resuscitate him after.

What happened, what happened? Can't you guys or you, public, imagine? They told him to wait, I am sure. Cause they want English answers. As if he were the only person arriving as an immigrant not speaking English. Come on. He did not understand. After six hours nothing had happened and he got upset, his nerves almost on the edge. He knows his mom waits out there. Nothing happens. He gets upset and begins to yell at an officer. That's when he got tasered, so often until he fell to the floor. Dead. That's the story. And I never visited Vancouver in my life.

Unknown said...

CBSA has a nasty habit of 'losing' and destroying any evidence that proves CBSA murdered, harmed, harassed, threatened, abused travelers.

CBSA lied stating they lost many videos showing CBSA agents abusing, threatening, attacking, harming travelers in Akwesasne. google 'Davis vs CBSA' that is just one case of hundreds of abuse incidents from CBSA against travelers in Akwesasne.

Anonymous said...

He acted up in the airport and got what he deserved...end of story.

Anonymous said...

Maybe if he would have acted like a human instead of throwing a hissy fit, he would have been treated like a human....