Canadian customs officers will soon start collecting data on the race, colour and ethnic origin of travellers detained for secondary inspections.

The data-gathering is part of a project to determine whether officers are using racial profiling.

The Canada Customs and Revenue Agency is launching a pilot project over the next few weeks to gather the data from ports of entry across Canada.

"The project will also analyze the impact of the criteria applied by [customs officers] at ports of entry and make appropriate recommendations," the agency says in tender documents released recently. "Currently the customs branch does not collect this information."

Canada Customs is believed to be the first law-enforcement agency in the country to officially collect and analyze race statistics. The project is the result of a settlement reached earlier this year with Selwyn Pieters, a Toronto law student.

Mr. Pieters filed a complaint with the Canadian Human Rights Commission in 1999 over allegations involving a search of his bags by a student customs officer. Mr. Pieters, who is black, alleged he was singled out for the search because of his race. Canada Customs settled the case earlier this year and offered Mr. Pieters an apology and an undisclosed payment. The agency also agreed to hire an outside firm to collect and analyze statistics by race, colour, national or ethnic origin and gender of travellers chosen for secondary screening.

According to the tender documents, Canada Customs plans to use the information "to determine the reasons why [customs officers] refer travellers to secondary examinations."

Mr. Pieters welcomed the launch of the project and said it is significant because racial profiling has become an important issue since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the United States.

"I had a concern that customs was dragging its feet on implementing the terms of the settlement," Mr. Pieters said. "I hope what would come out of it is that we would really see who are being referred to secondary searches."

He said he was chosen for a search because the customs officer believed he fit the profile of a drug dealer.

"If the majority of people who are being referred to secondary searches are racial minorities, whether they are black or whether they are Arabs now that there is all the terrorism concerns, I hope measures would be taken so that the screening process or the referral process isn't being used for discriminatory reasons."

He said he hopes other agencies, including police forces, adopt similar studies.

Canada Customs was supposed to work with the African Canadian Legal Clinic on developing the pilot project, but Marie Chen, a staff lawyer with the clinic, said consultation was poor.

"We've had difficulty with being consulted," she said. "It's a good thing that [the project tender] is finally out. But it took almost a year. We have been pushing them on it."

Ms. Chen said she is concerned Canada Customs has set aside only a few weeks to get the project operating. "For someone to do a decent job of developing a framework, they've given a 20-day time frame. It's problematic just on the face of it."

Caroline Jacques, a spokeswoman for Canada Customs, said the statistics will be collected from travellers on a voluntary basis.

The collection of "all personal statistics will be voluntary, anonymous and not related to any specific group," Ms. Jacques said. "We won't be able to say who gave us the stats."

Depending on the results of the pilot project, Canada Customs is considering setting up a permanent system to gather statistics on the race and ethnic origin of travellers. The department would file an annual report on those figures.

Under the settlement with Mr. Pieters, Canada Customs also agreed to retain a racism expert to provide cultural-diversity training to all officers. The department has also agreed to hold annual meetings with the African Canadian Legal Clinic to review Canada Customs practices.