Originally Posted by
Davvidd
Are you talking about IRCC for Immigration? At the border most of their questions are for the customs duty and bringing in prohibited or dutiable items. In many other countries they are separate and hence the immigration do not ask questions from their own citizens while the customs will ask. My point is the CBSA asks because of the items a passenger may bring and not for any immigration purposes as they cannot stop a Canadian from coming into Canada.
CBSA is similar to the U.S. CBP in that these are both frontline agencies that enforce rules on behalf of other departments. (For example, border officers apply rules set by federal agriculture departments when determining admissibility of food and plant products.) They are merely the first point of contact for a traveler.
You are correct in stating that no federal officer can stop a Canadian from entering Canada--even during the pandemic, the border could not be fully closed as Canadian citizens have a constitutional right to enter and leave--the key is in satisfying the officer of one's citizenship. A Canadian passport accomplishes this. In my experience once I have presented the passport and the CBSA officer has scanned it and visually verified that I am the bearer, the conversation moves to customs topics. My eligibility to enter the country is no longer in question, so now I am asked about how long I was away, how much I am bringing back, etc.
As I noted in my earlier post I always sail through the CBSA spot checks on the jetway because they are immigration-only. By presenting my passport I show my entitlement to enter the country and am quickly on my way, The more in-depth interview for customs purposes comes downstairs in the arrival hall.