Security and Prosperity Partnership Initiatives for Smart, Secure Borders

Remarks by
The Honourable Stockwell Day
Minister of Public Safety

January 12, 2007
Windsor, Ontario
As delivered

Thank you, ladies and gentlemen, for that warm welcome.

The relationship between Canada, the United States and Mexico is an incredible one. More than 85 percent of the manufactured trade that takes place in Canada goes to the United States. Almost 20,000 trucks travel across the borders every day from coast to coast, and a third of those are right here in this area. The total trade that crosses the Ambassador Bridge is greater than all of the trade that exists between the United States and Japan. These are huge and important trading relationships.

When it comes to our borders, the Government of Canada is committed to keeping Canadians safe from a number of threats and dangers. At the same time, we want to ensure that business and trade flow smoothly and securely across the border.

Ladies and gentlemen, we have made this a priority. Prime Minister Stephen Harper, in his first meeting in Cancun with the President of the United States and the President of Mexico, clearly stated that the issue is not just secure borders, but smart borders. Key initiatives are being announced today that are going to accomplish that two-fold mission of creating borders that are secure and also borders that enhance prosperity.

I want to thank the incredible array of individuals who are here today representing a variety of associations, industries and trade unions. Right across the board, all sectors are being represented.

Without the advice, knowledge and experience that each of you brings to the table, we would not be where we are today.

I'd like to now announce that $396 million will be invested in the e-Manifest program. That's the first of a three-part announcement today. The e-Manifest is an electronic program that will provide our border officials with pre-arrival, electronically transmitted data on the cargo, conveyances, crews and personnel, as well as on the “importer admissibility data” for all modes of transport from the industry community. This is a five-year process.

You can imagine how this will ensure not just the ongoing circulation of goods across the border, but also in fact, enhance it. The time taken to process manifests for truckers crossing the border will be minimized as a result.

With the e-Manifest system in place, businesses can send information electronically to the border before the trucks get there. The risk assessments will be done using risk-assessment tools. Again, a huge part of the time that is taken up now at the border can be effectively expedited.

The human element at the border will remain. A border officer will be on hand to look at that material and to talk to the driver. But the amount of time saved will be significant.

On Thursday, January 18, 2007, Ottawa will host the first meeting of officials from several sectors to agree on the design process of this efficient system. The $396 million will lead soon to an entire import process that is highly sophisticated and automated, with a built-in risk assessment based on pre-arrival information. The focus will be on high-risk shipments and relationships between importers, exporters and transporters. For a variety of reasons, we need to be working closely with you in the development of that process.

The second announcement is the $24 million investment into the Business Resumption Plan. While we always hope there will never be a threat at a border that causes a disruption, we need to be prepared in case it does happen. When you consider the amount of trade that is moving across the border and the number of people affected - if trucks are stopped because of an incident for even an hour - we begin to have problems.

The Canadian Manufacturers Exporters Association and other groups have determined that if a bridge is closed for even a short time, it could have an impact on production in various parts of our country, the United States and possibly Mexico. It's therefore very important for the movement of traffic to continue and business to be resumed should an incident ever take place.

The $24 million will go into planning, development and work with emergency responders, trade leaders and others to create the protocol to ensure that appropriate and coordinated responses are in place. That will also include the development of both virtual and practical exercises of incidents so that everyone involved, from our first responders to the shippers and the border officers, knows what the business-resumption plans are and is able to move quickly on them.

There will also be an investment of $11.6 million to strengthen the Partners in Protection Program (PIP). The intent is to enhance border security by targeting and preventing organized crime and potential terrorist elements and preventing the smuggling or transfer of illegal or dangerous goods and persons. This funding gives the business community the opportunity to be involved in the program.

Businesses would have the opportunity to register and to reach a certain level of security that in itself expedites their process when they get to the border. This makes it easier for them to be involved in programs like the Free and Secure Transport Program, which allows certain businesses that have been identified as being very low-risk or no-risk to quickly move their goods across the border.

These dollars will also go to harmonizing with a similar program in the United States called the Customs Trade Partnership Against Terrorism. By working together with our trade partners, we can improve and accelerate these processes.

Ladies and gentlemen, these three programs working together are going to deliver on our promise to other governments, our business and trading people, and to the hundreds of thousands of employees who work in the businesses affected. We're delivering on our commitment of having safer borders and prosperity in an enhanced and expedited way.

Again, I want to thank the partners here who have been involved, who have worked so hard to make this a reality. I'm looking forward to the years ahead as we see the business community and all of our communities benefiting by this commitment both to security and prosperity.

Thank you.