The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) spent almost $1-million over two years renting private jets to deport people from Canada or move them between detention facilities inside the country, according to documents obtained by Ottawa researcher Ken Rubin through access-to-information laws.

Between August 2021 and September 2022, CBSA used several large corporate jets — the kind normally used by business executives. In January 2022, the agency paid $438,000 to charter a Dassault Falcon 900EX to deport three people. The next month, it spent $368,810 on the same type of jet to remove two people and fly a third to a detention centre in another part of Canada. In September 2022, CBSA paid $130,432 to charter a Bombardier Global 5000, a jet that seats 14 and costs more than US$10-million to buy, to fly two people out of Canada. A smaller charter in August 2021 cost $17,244 to move one person to a detention facility within Canada.

CBSA spokesperson Luke Reimer said the agency rarely uses chartered aircraft, with fewer than five charters since 2020. Most people deported from Canada leave on regular commercial flights, usually without an escort. Reimer said a private jet might be used when a commercial airline refuses to carry a detainee, or when officials decide the person could be a danger to themselves or others on a regular flight.

The cost per person on these private flights is far higher than what CBSA normally pays. According to records obtained by Rubin, the average cost of deporting someone from Canada is $13,098 when a border officer escorts them and $3,905 when they travel alone or not by air. The January 2022 jet charter, which removed three people for $438,000, works out to about $146,000 per person.

CBSA's overall spending on enforcement has been rising. In the 2024-25 fiscal year, the agency spent $78,250,480 on deportations and $130,151,809 on detention. The year before, it spent $65,781,214 on deportations and $101,359,044 on detention. CBSA says it removed over 18,000 people not allowed to stay in Canada last fiscal year, the highest number in a decade.

Using private jets for deportations is not new for CBSA. In 2007, border officials hired a private jet to fly two people to Djibouti, in East Africa, after they were judged too dangerous to remain in Canada. The practice also covers flights within Canada: a border officer or contracted security guard accompanies the person being moved.

These details emerged amid growing political pressure to deport people faster. Bill C-12, which became law in March 2026, speeds up deportations for some asylum seekers and lets Ottawa share immigration information with provinces. A Conservative motion introduced in the House of Commons in February calls for the immediate deportation of foreign nationals convicted of crimes in Canada. A separate parliamentary committee is studying how well Canada can deport people who are not allowed to stay because of criminal activity.

The broader context here is that parliamentarians are already focused on whether CBSA can deport people efficiently and at a reasonable cost. The private-jet spending is likely to attract their attention.

Canada's approach is different from the United States, where Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has its own fleet of aircraft for deportation flights. ICE has bought five Boeing 737 planes for this purpose, and a recent contract adds two Gulfstream jets. The U.S. military has also carried out deportation flights under the Trump administration, with one flight in January 2025 estimated to cost at least $4,675 per person. ICE deportation flights hit record highs in 2025, according to the Associated Press.

The CBSA documents were obtained and first reported by The Globe and Mail on August 6, 2026.