Program directory · Canada Border Services Agency
Detentions
- Department
- Canada Border Services Agency
- Program code
- BUG02 (CBSA)
- Core responsibility
- Border Enforcement
- In Departmental Plans
- 2018-19 – 2026-27 · New since an earlier plan
What it does
In support of the National Immigration Detention Framework, the CBSA’s Detentions Program provides programmatic and policy guidance for the delivery of an immigration detention system that supports the humane and dignified treatment of individuals while protecting public safety. It ensures a high level of detention standards and practices for those individuals who must be detained and offers alternatives to detention when possible for certain clients and those needing support, particularly minors and vulnerable people. The program ensures that its detention facilities are updated and can support the provision of enhanced services. Through improved operational standards, the national detention program aligns with key international detention standards including United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and Canadian Red Cross (CRC) guidelines on detention. The Detentions Program maintains key contracts and agreements including those that allow for detention oversight by the CRC, the provision of case management for released individuals, guard services to support detentions operations, and the housing of immigration detainees in provincial facilities.
Source: the department's Program Inventory, via GC InfoBase.
History and lineage
First appears in GC InfoBase's actual spending by program in 2018-19. The data does not record when a program was created; it may be older than its first appearance here, which is limited by the sources (program spending starts in 2010-11, Departmental Plans in 2018-19).
| Program | Relation | Years with data | Actual spending over those years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detentions | This program | 2018-19 – 2028-29 | $589M |
No earlier or later program in the same department has a similar name.
Significant changes in scope and budget
Detected from the data: renames between plans, programs it appears to replace, merge with or split into (matched by name), year-over-year changes in spending of at least 25% and $5M, or in employees of at least 20% and 25 FTEs, linked budget measures, and results indicators added or dropped.
| Year | What changed | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2019-20 | Indicators added: Percentage of persons subject to detention for immigration purposes enrolled into alternative to detention programs. | Departmental Results Framework (GC InfoBase) |
| 2019-20 | Indicators dropped: Percentage of foreign nationals and permanent residents who may be inadmissible to Canada or who may be ready for removal who are detained according to their assessed level of risk | Departmental Results Framework (GC InfoBase) |
| 2020-21 | Indicators added: Persons released from detention on alternatives to detention as a percentage of all persons detained | Departmental Results Framework (GC InfoBase) |
| 2020-21 | Indicators dropped: Percentage of persons subject to detention for immigration purposes enrolled into alternative to detention programs. | Departmental Results Framework (GC InfoBase) |
| 2022-23 | Employees (FTEs) 181, against 140 in 2021-22 (+29%). | FTEs (GC InfoBase) |
| 2023-24 | Employees (FTEs) 219, against 181 in 2022-23 (+21%). | FTEs (GC InfoBase) |
| 2024-25 | Spending $130M, against $101M in 2023-24 (+28%). | Actual spending (GC InfoBase) |
| 2025-26 | Planned employees (FTEs) 307, against 245 in 2024-25 (+25%). | FTEs (GC InfoBase) |
| 2025-26 | Planned spending $199M, against $130M in 2024-25 (+53%). | Latest Departmental Plan |
Success criteria
The program's indicators from its department's Departmental Results Framework: the target set in each year's plan, and the result reported the following year. Source: GC InfoBase.
Historical: targets against results
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-21 | ≥ 10% | 2021 | 65% It should be noted that the result surpassed the target, which is partially attributable to the use of alternatives to detention as part of the CBSA’s strategy to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission in detention facilities. | Met |
| 2021-22 | ≥ 10% | 2022 | 31% | Met |
| 2022-23 | ≥ 10% | 2023 | 35% | Met |
| 2023-24 | ≥ 25% | 2024 | 37% | Met |
| 2024-25 | ≥ 25% | 2025 | 40% | Met |
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-20 | ≥ 10% | 2020 | 29.6% | Met |
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | ≥ 90% | 2019 | 89% This indicator is measured based on the National Risk Assessment for Detention (NRAD) score to ensure that people of low and medium risk are not placed in provincial facilities in regions where there is an Immigration Holding Centre (IHC). The result of 89% represents people with a low or medium NRAD score that are placed in an IHC as opposed to a provincial facility. The metrics for this indicat… | Not met |
Current: the 2026-27 plan's targets
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 | ≥ 25% | 2027 | — | Planned |
Future goals: targets due after 2026-27
No targets with a later due date.
Spending and employees: planned against actual
Spending
Show the numbers
| Fiscal year | Planned | Actual |
|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | $50.5M | $65.3M |
| 2019-20 | $66.9M | $71.4M |
| 2020-21 | $68.2M | $64.4M |
| 2021-22 | $70.6M | $73.9M |
| 2022-23 | $71.5M | $82.7M |
| 2023-24 | $110M | $101M |
| 2024-25 | $133M | $130M |
| 2025-26 | $199M | — |
| 2026-27 | $195M | — |
| 2027-28 | $199M* | — |
| 2028-29 | $174M* | — |
Employees (FTEs)
Show the numbers
| Fiscal year | Planned | Actual |
|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | 133 | 128 |
| 2019-20 | 178 | 146 |
| 2020-21 | 168 | 132 |
| 2021-22 | 171 | 140 |
| 2022-23 | 177 | 181 |
| 2023-24 | 178 | 219 |
| 2024-25 | 200 | 245 |
| 2025-26 | 307 | — |
| 2026-27 | 344 | — |
| 2027-28 | 342* | — |
| 2028-29 | 339* | — |
Planned spending, plan by plan
Each row is one year's Departmental Plan and its forecast for the next three fiscal years; read a column down to see how the forecast for one year changed. The last row is what was actually spent. Click an amount for its source. Biggest changes in federal spending plans
| Plan | 2018-19 | 2019-20 | 2020-21 | 2021-22 | 2022-23 | 2023-24 | 2024-25 | 2025-26 | 2026-27 | 2027-28 | 2028-29 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 plan | $50,535,504 | $48,473,019 | $49,038,338 | ||||||||
| 2019-20 plan | $66,864,715 | $63,819,450 | $51,304,585 | ||||||||
| 2020-21 plan | $68,187,050 | $66,871,073 | $52,462,262 | ||||||||
| 2021-22 plan | $70,604,394 | $61,387,318 | $62,080,759 | ||||||||
| 2022-23 plan | $71,456,334 | $71,837,620 | $56,038,014 | ||||||||
| 2023-24 plan | $110,330,465 | $106,350,985 | $103,657,565 | ||||||||
| 2024-25 plan | $132,598,669 | $123,775,802 | $121,079,839 | ||||||||
| 2025-26 plan | $199,140,074 | $190,732,747 | $193,069,125 | ||||||||
| 2026-27 plan | $195,277,009 | $199,252,881 | $173,562,709 | ||||||||
| Actual | $65,259,045 | $71,377,021 | $64,408,134 | $73,916,467 | $82,699,963 | $101,359,044 | $130,151,810 |
Actual spending is from Departmental Results Reports and the Public Accounts, as published in GC InfoBase. FTEs are full-time equivalents.
