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.

Update on investigations underway

Here are the investigations underway. We will continue tracking these until there is closure.

• Minister Stockwell Day has asked for an inquiry into the role of the RCMP.
• A public inquiry into the use of tasers has been launched.
• The BC coroner's office has launched an inquest into the affair.
• Commission for Public Complaints Against the RCMP has launched an investigation.
• The RCMP is doing an internal review on the use of tasers.
• B.C.'s Integrated Homicide Investigation Team is doing an investigation into this tragedy into what actually transpired from the moment Robert landed in Canada.

There are pending questions into why Robert Dziekanski received no attention or guidance for a period of ten hours from when he was cleared by Immigration. Here's a list of actions that still need to happen.

• We need the Vancouver airport authority to be held accountable for the lapses.
• We need a review of the immigration processes at all points of entry to the country, understand where the hand-off between immigration and the airport authority takes place and who is accountable for what activity. This will identify the gaps in the system as they exist.

There is work to be done and we have to keep reminding the MPs that this is important to Canada and Canadians.