U.S. ambassador says Canadians facing device searches, detainment ’not a pattern’

OTTAWA — The American ambassador to Canada is pushing back on Ottawa’s travel advice, saying his country doesn’t search phones at the border and arguing some Americans travelling here are having a tough time.

“We welcome Canadians to come in and invest, to spend their hard-earned Canadian dollars at U.S. businesses,” U.S. Ambassador Pete Hoekstra told The Canadian Press in an interview Friday.

“If a Canadian has had a disappointing experience coming into the United States, I’m not denying that it happened, but I’m saying it’s an isolated event and it is not a pattern.”

In April, Ottawa updated its advice to Canadians travelling to the United States to warn them about the possibility they might be detained if denied entry.

“Expect scrutiny at ports of entry, including of electronic devices,” reads the new guidance.

There have been reports of Canadians facing intensified scrutiny at the border, having phones searched and, in some cases, being detained.

Hoekstra insisted concerns about device searches are not grounded in reality.

“Coming to the U.S., that’s a decision for the Canadians to make. Searching devices and all of that is not a well-founded fear. We don’t do that. America is a welcoming place,” he said.

He said some Americans have expressed similar concerns about Canada.

“I’ve heard that from Americans coming into Canada as well, OK? Saying, ’You know, we’ve not received a warm reception when we’ve gotten to Canadian customs,”’ he said.

When asked if these reports from American travellers involve arbitrary phone searches and lengthy detainment, Hoekstra said there are consular cases of Americans complaining to the embassy about the Canada Border Services Agency.

“We’ve said, ’OK this may have been an isolated event. There may have been a Canadian border person who was having a bad day, and thought they’d take it out on, you know, somebody across the border,”’ he said.

In a statement, the CBSA said its officers follow a code of conduct and the federal ethics code that both require them to treat everyone equally, and the agency investigates any complaints of mistreatment.

“Employees are expected to conduct themselves in a way that upholds the values of integrity, respect and professionalism at all times,” wrote spokeswoman Karine Martel.

“Treating people with respect, dignity and fairness is fundamental to our border services officers’ relationship with the public and a key part of this is serving all travellers in a non-discriminatory way.”