October 31, 2005
NRI press
The Government of Canada today submitted its official
comment to the U.S. government on the proposed Western
Hemisphere Travel Initiative. The proposed initiative
would require all travellers, including Canadians,
to present a passport or other documents indicating
citizenship and identity when entering or re-entering
the U.S. from the western hemisphere.
“The flow of Canadians and Americans across
our border is a vital and historic part of the Canada-U.S.
relationship, and the effective management of that
flow is an important responsibility,” said Foreign
Affairs Minister Pettigrew. “As in all aspects
of our relationship, it is something we are constantly
working at, because the security and prosperity of
both our countries depend on it. The proposed changes
to document requirements at the U.S. border are of
concern to us and it is extremely important that we
take the time required to get this right.”
“Canada and the U.S. share an interest in enhancing
the security and prosperity of North America, and
together we have achieved tremendous success in improving
the efficiency and security of our border,” said
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Safety
and Emergency Preparedness Anne McLellan. “In
the spirit of this successful collaboration, we must
ensure that our shared goal of increased security
does not put at risk the livelihood of millions who
rely on our border.”
Canada’s comment proposes
to:
• partner together to keep the border working
for legitimate travellers and trade;
• strengthen the foundations for establishing
identity and citizenship in our respective passport-issuance
processes, and the security of documents used for
this purpose, with the increased engagement of states
and provinces in identity authentication;
• work jointly to identify and assess the best
options for alternative documents to be required in
the land border context;
• conduct necessary live pilots of the preferred
options at high-volume land border crossings to evaluate
if and how they will enable both countries to meet
security and facilitation objectives; and
• based on joint assessment and evaluation,
make binational recommendations on documentary requirements
at our shared border and how to implement them, taking
into account the need to ensure that the appropriate
resources and infrastructure are available to guarantee
the smooth functioning of border crossings and to
ensure that required documents are affordable and
accessible.
Currently, U.S. citizens, Canadians and some citizens
of other countries in the western hemisphere are not
required to present a passport to enter or re-enter
the U.S.
The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative would be
implemented in two phases. By December 31, 2006, it
would be applied to all air and sea travel to or from
Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean,
and Bermuda. By December 31, 2007, the requirement
would be extended to all land border crossings.
While we are prepared to move quickly on the action
plan in the official comment, the Government of Canada
is concerned that the work required may take more
time to complete than the current time frame presently
allows for.
On September 1, 2005, the U.S. government opened
a 60-day public-consultation period on the initiative,
providing Canada with the opportunity to comment.
Canada’s official comment is the result of extensive
and thorough consultations with stakeholders in the
provinces, territories, business and non-governmental
organizations.
