(K): We've paid $10 million tax dollars for the improper detention and deportation of a not-so-terrorist 'terrorist' to Syria after all the flap post 9/11 - and billions for a war on a country that had nothing to do with 9/11 ..... but 'border security' right here in Canada? Well, we may just be funding those who are the greatest danger to Canada. That's aka 'contracting out' to those who may be in the business of security breaching. Don't forget to pay your taxes in full and in a timely manner. Your federal government needs it to protect your interests. _____________________________ OTTAWA - October 30, 2007 Auditors highlight security, environmental lapses Auditor-General Sheila Fraser took aim today at the lax security screening of private-sector companies working on top-secret federal contracts, while the Commissioner of the Environment slammed Ottawa for ignoring the environmental impact of its own actions. [...] On the issue of security screening, Ms. Fraser said government officials were wrong to launch major defence projects before contractors received the appropriate clearance. Highlights of Auditor General Sheila Frasers latest report to Parliament, released Tuesday: - Canada's borders are too porous because of lax procedures at the Canada Border Services Agency for screening dangerous people and goods. - Too much secret government information allowed to leak out to private contractors who do not have proper security clearance. - Military fails to properly check medical credentials of the health professionals who treat its soldiers, suggesting some may not even be licensed. - Tight budgets at Statistics Canada likely led to incomplete population counts in some communities and districts. - So-called sustainable development environmental strategies in effect government-wide since 1995 prove to be little more than paper commitments. "We found serious problems in the system that is supposed to ensure the security of government information and assets entrusted to industry," the Auditor-General told reporters. "Failing to protect sensitive information in contracting can pose serious risks to the national interest." Ms. Fraser added that while the Canada Border Services Agency is investing in technology to improve the screening of goods and people entering Canada, border officers continue to rely on their instincts to select which shipments need to be searched. She added that often, the criteria to look more closely at containers are not whether they pose a higher risk than others, but rather if staff is in place to do the work. Ms. Fraser also looked at the way that the department of National Defence offers health services to military personnel. The cost per person comes in at $8,600 a year, which is much higher than the average cost of $4,500 per Canadian, even though military officials are usually fit. Ms. Fraser said DND doesn't have enough information to explain the discrepancy, and needs to improve its oversight of the health services. Mr. Thompson, the interim environment commissioner, simultaneously released a hard-hitting report on the government's sustainable development strategy. Created by law in 1995 to ensure federal departments consider how their actions might have an impact on climate change or other environmental issues, the commissioner's office has long complained that departments aren't taking the reports seriously. Checking in again earlier this year, the commissioner found the problem has still not been addressed. "We can find few, if any, evidence that sustainable development strategies are serving the purpose for which they were introduced," states the commissioner's report, which describes the federal plans as a "major disappointment." [...] The report, tabled in the House of Commons Tuesday, is divided into seven chapters: : An audit into how the federal government ensures the security of sensitive information and assets made available to industry in the course of contracting. The audit also looked at how the three federal organizations with the highest numbers of contracts Public Works and Government Services Canada, National Defence, and the RCMP - carry out their responsibilities for security in contracting. : The first of a series of planned audits of management and control practices in small federal organizations. The audit included the Canada Industrial Relations Board, the Canadian Forces Grievance Board, and the Courts Administration Service. It looked at the controls in the use of acquisition cards, contracting, executive travel, hospitality, executive compensation, and selected areas of human resources management. : An audit of the 1984 Inuvialuit final agreement, which transferred about 91,000 square kilometres of land to the Inuit of the western Arctic, along with a total payment of just under $170-million. : An audit of the provision of health care to members of the Canadian Forces, including how the Department of National Defence determines if its members have consistent access to timely, quality physical and mental health care. : Canada Border Services: An audit of the federal agency's approach to border management, including how it identifies and intercepts people and goods, and how it facilitates the free-flow of low-risk people and goods into Canada. : Management of the 2006 census by Statistics Canada, including quality assurance systems : An audit of technical training at three key branches of the Canada Revenue Agency: compliance programs, appeals, and legislative policy and regulatory affairs ______________________________________ October 26, 2007 ..... B.C. border guard busted on drugs and weapons charges 2 other men also arrested at Surrey crossing RCMP have arrested a border guard in Surrey, B.C, alleging that he used his position to allow cocaine and guns to be smuggled across the Canada-U.S. border. Police found cash, weapons and $6 million worth of cocaine in two SUVs that passed the border crossing allegedly without being inspected. As part of a 13-month investigation, the RCMP and the Canada Border Services Agency have been closely watching the Pacific Highway Border crossing in Surrey. On Thursday morning, a border guard and two other men were arrested after police found restricted handguns, cash and 208 kilograms of cocaine worth $6 million inside two vehicles. "This operation began after information was received that a border officer was a key figure in a criminal enterprise," Insp. Dan Malo, who's in charge of the investigation, said Friday. "Nobody in Canada smuggles this quantity of cocaine without being involved in organized crime." Police allege that two luxury SUVs were allowed to pass through a commercial inspection booth without examination. Inspections at the Surrey border crossing have increased on Friday after police arrested a border guard allegedly using his position to turn a blind eye on smuggling. Border guard Baljinder Kandola, 35, and two other Richmond men, Shminder Johal, 34, and Herman Riar, 26, are all charged with importing cocaine to Canada, possession for the purposes of trafficking, conspiracy to import cocaine, as well as importing restricted firearms. Kandola is also charged with breach of trust and bribery. """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy. - James Madison """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""