Canada Border Services Agency - Fort Erie (Peace Bridge) — Attraction in Fort Erie

I was going to the US on 16/7/24 and the officer was a young guy who was incredibly rude towards my family and was completely ignorant towards our ID and couldn’t recognize a birth certificate and demanded it after shoving it in my dads face, then my father declared that we have a bearded dragon he called his superior officer who was instantly abrasive and told us we required fish and wildlife paperwork (despite we called fish and wildlife and border security and were told that he required no paperwork for our bearded dragon) she made us pull off and then told all of us to go inside and we obliged she came in and called my father up and then noticed my step mother who was holding our bearded dragon and told her “don’t bring that thing in here go sit out by the van other people don’t want to see those creatures in here” and later asked “are you going to take it out in public” my dad responds “yes we take him everywhere” she replies “thats disgusting.” “you people just take your animal out to public places for attention.” (the last statement is not verbatim but is contextually about as close as everyone can remember it going) We do take draco (our bearded dragon) everywhere because he’s like a dog to us and we love our little guy, yes sometimes he draws attention but it’s not why we bring him and it’s certainly not her job to tell us what she thinks of our choices to bring our ONLY pet with us furthermore she made us fill out unnecessary paperwork (I’ll link it if I can), which I cannot stress enough IT IS NOT a requirement for our pet according to border security and every state we travelled through or stopped in. I should also add we’ve been across the border 6 times with draco including this time and never had more than a let me check real quick followed by ok you’re good to go sometimes with a that’s cool or questions about how he travels and if...

Came in at around 2:30 PM on a Thursday and the line was long but was moving pretty efficiently. Most agents were fast about sending people on their way after a quick passport check and asking a couple questions.

I unfortunately didn’t get the name of the CBSA agent running my line, but she made the experience unnecessarily difficult and complicated. I noticed our line was moving much slower than the others. She seemed to be assuming the worst of every car and was excessively questioning everyone. She would take people’s passport, go on her computer, ask a barrage of questions, and finally return it once she finished her interrogation.

When my turn with the drill sergeant came up, she immediately commented about how I was “just in Canada in February” even though it was now August. She asked about my previous trip to Canada and when I mentioned I came in from Detroit she asked what I was doing there even though it’s not even a Canadian city.

When I explained my destination was Toronto she interrogated me about what I planned to do and when she was reluctant to believe me. I offered to show her my phone where I had a list of everything I wanted to do. She was asking about where I was staying and asked to see my phone again to confirm my reservation.

During her questioning she did the classic tactic where she repeated some her questions to see if she could catch me in a lie, which obviously didn’t work because I wasn’t lying about anything. Any other time I’ve been to a Canadian port of entry they quickly checked my passport and let me in after a few quick questions. This lady was clearly on some type of power trip and she’d be better off going to be a detective if she wants to question...

I had an extremely distressing experience at the Peace Bridge border crossing while interacting with a CBSA agent. This incident has left me deeply disappointed and concerned about the professionalism and treatment exhibited by the CBSA staff. It is evident that sensitivity training is necessary, as the agent's tone throughout the interaction was disrespectful and dismissive, despite my attempts to explain my situation.

As a Citizen and a veteran of the CAF for over 13 years, I was made to feel unwelcome and treated as a second-rate citizen. The most disheartening part was that my two-year-old daughter witnessed the entire ordeal. It was a truly dreadful experience, and it saddens me to think that this is how our own citizens are sometimes treated.

While I hope and don't believe that this incident was racially motivated, it is clear that the agent displayed a lack of good character and abused their power. Such behavior should never be tolerated, and steps must be taken to address it.

I sincerely hope that nobody else has to endure a similar experience. It is crucial for the CBSA to take these concerns seriously and prioritize sensitivity training and fostering a culture of respect and equality. Our citizens, especially those who have served their country, deserve to be treated with dignity and appreciation.

By sharing my experience, I hope to raise awareness and encourage positive change within the CBSA. It is my fervent wish that incidents like mine become a thing of the past, and that every citizen, regardless of their background or service, is treated fairly and respectfully by the agency tasked with protecting...