CBSA employees embroiled in hundreds of founded misconduct cases, report says

A Canada Border Services officer hands passports back to visitors entering Canada from Vermont at the Highway 55 Port of Entry in Stanstead, Que., Thursday, March 13, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christinne Muschi

A new report released by the Canada Border Services Agency revealed hundreds of employees involved in founded misconduct cases within the last year.

Published Thursday, the CBSA’s first annual “Misconduct and Wrongdoing” report presented cases that were “deemed founded” — meaning the claim or report is supported by credible evidence — within the agency and investigations conducted by external agencies between April 1, 2024 and March 31, 2025.

CBSA President Erin O’Gorman shared a statement in the review, saying the report is meant to “increase transparency and confidence” in the misconduct reported within the agency.

According to the report, in 2024-25, there were:

• 364 investigations were closed during the 2024-25 fiscal year
• 259 (71 per cent) were deemed founded

Cased that were deemed founded resulted in the agency taking measures to correct the behaviours, the report said.

This marked a slight drop from the previous year, when misconduct was found in 319 cases (63 per cent) out of 503. Still, the number came out higher than it was in 2022-23, when 237 cases (67 per cent) out of 353 of misconduct were found.

According to the report, the CBSA has a “Disciplinary Measures Framework,” which gives examples of the founded misconduct and recommendations for disciplining.

Accountability, conduct and criminality

The section with the highest number of founded cases was “accountability and professional conduct” with 203. They included:

• Failing to conduct a proper search during an arrest
• Failing to refer an individual subject to a lookout for secondary examination
• Failing to enter required information in CBSA systems
• Providing false statements
• Misuse of law enforcement databases
• Hiring family members or friends
• Cheating on a selection process
• Interfering in immigration processing
• Use of personal cell phone while on duty
• Providing preferential treatment to family members

According to the report, there were several disciplinary actions taken in light of those cases, out of which:

• 174 cases were corrective actions, which included counselling or a 20-day suspension
• Seven people departed from the agency before the disciplinary action was concluded
• 22 did not receive any disciplinary action as a result of “mitigating factors”

According to the report, “mitigating factors” could be a forthcoming or remorseful employee, absence of current discipline on file, employee’s years of service, isolated incidents, and other relevant factors.

Fifteen founded cases involved criminality or any private, off-duty criminal association. These instances included:

• Consumption or possession of illegal substances
• Association with drug traffickers
• Driving an agency vehicle while intoxicated
• Theft

Within those founded cases, 11 were given counselling or a 20-day suspension, one resigned, one left the CBSA before they were disciplined and two were terminated.

Harassment, fraud

Additionally, the report noted 21 cases of harassment, sexual harassment, discrimination and violence in the workplace were also found, with two terminations, 17 corrective measures or a 12-day suspension and two term employment contracts ending before disciplinary action was taken.

Lastly, 20 cases of financial mismanagement and fraud were founded within the agency. Sixteen employees received corrective action or a five-day suspension, two departed from the CBSA before disciplinary action was taken and two were currently in the disciplinary process, the report said.

A total of four employees were terminated during the process, the report said, and 14 left the agency.

The agency did not release any more information about the founded cases, including the location of the misconduct.

In her statement within the report, O’Gorman, who was appointed president in July 2022, said:

“The CBSA can only carry out its mandate if it holds the confidence of those we serve and we can only gain that confidence if we support and trust one another.

“We all play a vital role in maintaining an environment free of harassment, discrimination, and misconduct. Values and ethics must underpin everything we do at the Agency,” she added.