Trudeau airport customs delays 'unacceptable,' federal transport minister says

The long lineups to clear customs atMontreal'sTrudeau airport, where passengerscan wait for hours, areunacceptable and will be addressed quickly, said federal Transport Minister Marc Garneau.

Throughout the summer, passengers arriving on international flightshave complained about lengthy delays in the airport's customs hall. Some have reported standing in line for more thantwo hours.

• Denis Coderre presses Ottawa to address customs problems at Trudeau airport

Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre urged the federal government earlier this week to address the situation. On Friday, Garneau agreed the delays posea problem.

"Waiting two hours or more is totally unacceptable," Garneautold CBC News. He said he isworking withPublic Safety Minister Ralph Goodaleto come up with solutions.

Garneau said he hoped to have correctivemeasures in place quickly, however,he also said the government needed to better understand the problem before drafting proposals.

• 2 hours in no man's land: The trouble with customs at Montreal's Trudeau airport

Union blames budget cuts

"I want to get a sense of what exactlythe potential choke pointsare ... before I propose solutions," Garneausaid.

Garneau invoked the approachinganniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks to say that any solution wouldn't come at the expense of security.

"We realize that this is a situation that is difficult for passengers arriving," he said.

"Many people travel internationally, and we want to have a reasonable amount of time to ensure the security is donebut certainly not the current times."

The customs officers'union has blamed budget cuts imposed bythe previous Conservative government for staffing shortages, which it sayscontribute to the delays.

Coderre has also suggested the government and airport officials explore updating security technology and spreading outthe arrival times of international flights.