B.C. border cops return after walking off the job

VANCOUVER — Four B.C.-U.S. border crossings should be back to normal this morning after 60 unarmed Canadian border guards left their posts Sunday over a security scare.

Truckers and motorists were stuck in long lineups for hours yesterday as Canada Border Services Agency officers refused to be on duty after learning from U.S. Homeland Security officials that an armed murder suspect may have been trying to cross the border into Canada, local news media reported.

The affected border crossings — Huntington, Aldergrove and Peace Arch, and Pacific Highway — were manned by CBSA managers, who could not keep traffic from slowing to a crawl.

B.C. guards at the Peace Arch crossing also left their posts in February when they were warned an armed and dangerous individual was headed their way.

Unlike their American counterparts, CBSA officers are unarmed. They held several protest demonstrations and work stoppages last year (mainly in southern Ontario) hoping to convince the government to give them guns.

Earlier this month, Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced some guards could receive firearms next year, but it would likely take 10 years to fully implement a nation-wide plan to arm border inspectors.

The Customs Excise Union representing 4,400 border cops says it wants the plan to be rolled out much sooner.

— with files from CTV News