An expensive program designed to computerize records of cross-border freight trucks overwhelmed the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) with an excessive amount of information, rendering it “impossible for them to analyze all of the data,” according to an internal report. This was the second instance in a span of six years that auditors raised concerns regarding the efficacy of the eManifest program, reports Blacklock’s Reporter.“Performance has not been monitored,” said the report. The Advance Commercial Information Program, commonly referred to as eManifest, was initially introduced 13 years ago as a paperless method for cargo verification on a substantial number of freight trucks that cross the Canada-US border daily.According to the report Evaluation of eManifest, 99% of truckers voluntarily complied with the new regulations. .Consequently, the influx of information overwhelmed the CBSA officers, leading to significant operational challenges.“Trade chain partners are only required to submit electronic pre-arrival data one hour prior to the conveyance’s arrival in Canada,” said the report. “The national targeting centre highlighted this as a challenge as it is impossible for them to analyze all of the data before the conveyance’s arrival in Canada. So while eManifest increased pre-arrival commercial data availability, it did not in all cases increase the data utility for risk assessment.”Researchers wrote that the program was intended to yield “faster, more efficient front-line processing for commercial trade” and “reduced administrative burdens on businesses.” Researchers said it was not apparent that the delivery had been successful. .“Additional time is needed for the reduced burden benefit to be fully realized,” wrote the researchers.The Evaluation Report constitutes the second critical analysis of the program. In 2019, auditors identified cost overruns within the CBSA.The initial estimated costs were $415 million. By 2017, spending had reached $825 million, with a discrepancy of $102.9 million between the CBSA’s recorded balance and its reported amount to the Treasury Board.“Corporate costs accounted for a portion of the variance,” said the Financial Audit of eManifest Project. “A significant amount remained unsupported.”.The program was introduced in 2012 as a trial. Initial computer snarls resulted in border delays “above and beyond what could reasonably be attributed to learning-curve issues,” said Stephen Laskowski, then-president of the Canadian Trucking Alliance, at the time. Laskowski stated that confusion surrounding electronic cargo reporting resulted in trucks enduring extended waits, ranging from hours to days, before being permitted to cross the border.The program was mandated in 2016 under the promise of $35 million annually in cost savings. Truckers were compelled to submit electronic cargo reports under the threat of substantial fines, of up to $25,000. The US enacted comparable Electronic Advance Information Regulations in 2003. Electronic reporting was introduced for marine shippers in Canada in 2004, and air carriers in 2006.
