NEXUS Air Expansion
Remarks by
The Honourable Stockwell Day
Minister of Public Safety
June 19, 2007
Ottawa, Ontario
As delivered
Ladies and gentlemen, it's an honour for me to be here today at the Ottawa Airport to make a very important announcement. At the same time, I would like to share in the greetings that we heard from our emcee to our other guests who are with us here today.
Ambassador Wilkins (United States Ambassador to Canada), it's always good to see you. I would like to take this opportunity to offer a word of condolence from us here in Canada for the tragic loss of nine firefighters in your home state. I know the impact of that, and we are thinking of your community during this hard time.
Mr. Benoit (President and CEO, Ottawa Airport Authority), it's great to see you here. I travel through this airport at least twice a week and it has always been a pleasant experience. It is a credit to you and to the wonderful people who work with you here. I believe the Assistant Commissioner of the U.S. border patrol is with us, Michael Mullen, great to have you here also, sir.
It's a shared goal that we have between our countries that our borders should be secure and operate efficiently. When our Prime Minister, the President of the United States and the President of Mexico held their first meeting, they made it a priority to create borders that are secure, but also that allow for prosperity to continue. To this end, that is why we developed the NEXUS card.
The NEXUS program allows frequent travelers who are low-risk travelers to apply, on a security basis, for a NEXUS card, which allows them to move rapidly across the border at any place where the NEXUS kiosk exists.
So far, the NEXUS program has been a successful program. Our first pilot project was in Vancouver and we want to introduce this program in different airports. Also, Canada and the United States harmonized all three NEXUS programs – Air, Land and Marine – into one in December 2006 to further improve NEXUS service to the traveling public while maintaining safety and security.
It's very exciting to announce today the official opening of the Nexus program here at the Ottawa International McDonald-Cartier Airport. The kiosks are available. It's as easy as walking up to a kiosk with your card, looking into an iris scanner and moving through the line. This proves what good will combined with technology can do. We are very excited to see the program operating here in Ottawa.
In light of our tremendous cooperation here with our border officers, Canada Border Services Agency and other agencies, I look forward to hearing Mr. Benoît speak of how the border services operations will be available 24/7 here at the airport. It will be a tremendous addition to the efficiencies at this particular airport.
Congratulations to everybody who has been involved in opening the NEXUS kiosks for the NEXUS program. You are helping to enhance the relationship of safety and security with our partners in the United States.
Thank you for being here.