From the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada:
Customs Searches
Under Canada’s Customs Act, CBSA officers have widespread powers to stop and search individuals, their baggage and other possessions and devices at any Canadian port of entry, be this a land border crossing, air terminal or sea port. When such searches have been challenged in court, judges have typically recognized that people should have reduced expectations of privacy at border points. In this special context, privacy and other Charter rights are limited by factors such as sovereignty, immigration control, taxation and security.
What you should know:
CBSA officers are authorized to conduct searches of individuals entering Canada, including their baggage, parcels or devices such as laptops, BlackBerrys or cellphones. These searches may be conducted without a warrant.
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It's not in dispute that this is the letter of the law. I don't agree with the law, but it was passed in this way and the only real way to change this would be through legislation or a charter rights challenge through the courts.
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