Canada Calls for Cross-Border Information Sharing

WHISTLER, Canada -- The federal government of Canada convened its inaugural public safety conference, "Prevention, Protection and Pursuit," during the last week of April.

The conference focused on terrorism and technology, and the event attracted delegates from the country's 10 provinces and three territories along with representatives from the U.S. and Canada's federal sector. The conference marked a new approach to the marketing of IT projects for the traditionally conservative government.

Sponsored by the Solicitor General Canada -- the branch of government that oversees law enforcement, justice and public safety for the country -- the conference focused on information sharing and education.

In 1999, the secretariat launched a five-year integrated justice information plan that included the development of the Canada Public Information Safety Network. The network will link sources of information to various law enforcement partners in the ministry that includes the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, the Correctional Service of Canada and the National Parole Board. Key parts of the system are scheduled to be fully operational by April 2003.

Although the project was well underway before Sept. 11, a new sense of urgency developed as Canada became immediately involved in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks.

Canadian authorities found themselves handling more than 200 diverted aircraft carrying tens of thousands of passengers that had been bound for U.S. destinations before air traffic was shut down, said Bev Busson, deputy commissioner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).

"The days of working in isolation are gone," she said, calling for ever-increasing communication among Canada's agencies and across the border with U.S. officials. "Collaboration is the only way to fight acts that threaten Canadians."

She said that integrated policing is critical to reaching the goal commonly shared by Canada and the United States; to prevent the kinds of terror that "damages our collective sense of security."

Building Relationships
Because Canada operates under a single federal criminal code and the RCMP commonly serves as municipal law enforcement officers, the challenges of turf wars experienced by U.S. law enforcement agencies were not so daunting, Busson said.

"I think we had more of an opportunity to build those relationships, so the spans get crossed," she said.

Nonetheless, conference participants agreed that the nation's justice and safety agencies face plenty of IT challenges. Like their U.S. counterparts, Canadian law enforcement agencies found themselves with disparate communications systems and an inability to share critical data. In addition, access to information is spread out over scores of entry points that have little in common.

As part of its aggressive integrated justice plan, the ministry is building a National Criminal Justice Index (NCJI) that will serve as a single portal to information. This effort includes a $75 million ($115 million Canadian) upgrade to the RCMP's computer system.

Another project that has been expanded to address the threat of terrorism is the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Center of Canada (FINTRAC). Originally established in 2001 to trace money-laundering activities in Canada, the fledgling agency quickly added the detection of the financing of terrorist activities to its mandate.

Horst Intscher, director of the FINTRAC, said the agency has an important skill in common with the people they monitor -- the ability to use sophisticated technology. He said the organization will fully respect the restrictions on information gathering to be effective in the fight against terrorism.

Border security was also a key topic throughout the conference. Several policing agencies from both the United States and Canada are on heightened alert and employing new technologies such as biometrics, smart cards and remote scanning devices. Canada's customs officials process approximately 110 million travelers and 60 million packages and parcels a year, according to the