Canadian customs officers could soon be based in the U.S. for the first time

Canadian customs officers could soon be posted to U.S. border posts on American soil for the first time in history, and American officers could be assigned to work from border posts in Canada, CBC News has learned.

«It's a fundamental shift,» said Mark Weber, president of the union that represents Canadian border officers. «You're working in another country … It's game-changing.»

If approved, the regulations being proposed by the federal government would allow the program to expand to other border crossings across the country.

The initiative would start with a two-year pilot project at the tiny border crossing of Covey Hill/Cannon Corners at the border between Quebec and New York State. The pilot project, which could be in place as soon as June, would see Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) officers move in with their U.S. counterparts at the American border post, about 200 meters from the Canadian post.

Currently, the Covey Hill border crossing is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET and traffic ranges from about 12 vehicles a day to 41 a day during the summer peak season.

Under the pilot, the CBSA would provide most of the usual services at the preclearance post in the U.S. but would have to refer any refugee claimants to a different border post located on Canadian soil.

Denis Vinette, vice-president of traveller services for the CBSA, said the move has been in the works for years but it took time to negotiate it with the Americans.

«Now is the right time,» Vinette told CBC News. «We are investing in infrastructure, both in Canada and the U.S, along the border and so this would inform opportunities, perhaps, for co-location in the future at some of the sites, both in Canada [and] the U.S.»

The proposal also raises serious questions