Minister Blaney reaffirms Harper Government's commitment to strengthening border security to better facilitate cross border trade and legitimate travel

OTTAWA, May 4, 2015 /CNW/ - Today, the Honourable Steven Blaney, Canada's Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, addressed the Canadian/American Border Trade Alliance annual conference in Ottawa.

Minister Blaney spoke on several initiatives implemented under the Beyond the Border Action Plan, a Canada – United States of America (U.S.) joint strategy to strengthen security and increase economic prosperity for both countries. For example, Minister Blaney highlighted the Agreement on Land, Rail, Marine and Air Transport Preclearance signed in March 2015 with the U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security, Jeh Johnson, and tabled in Parliament on April 22^nd, 2015.

In addition, Minister Blaney spoke about Canada's Bill C-51, the Anti-Terrorism Act, 2015, which addresses terrorist threats by introducing measures that would, among other things, enhance the Passenger Protect Program by further mitigating threats to transportation security and preventing travel by air for the purpose of engaging in terrorism-related activities. These and other measures introduced by the Harper Government will help keep Canadians and Americans safe, while facilitating legitimate trade and travel between Canada and the U.S..

Quick Facts

• On February 4, 2011, Prime Minister Harper and President Obama released Beyond the Border: A Shared Vision for Perimeter Security and Economic Competitiveness. The vision is based on a perimeter approach to security and economic prosperity. This collaboration is enhancing security and accelerating the legitimate flow of people and goods. The Beyond the Border Action Plan sets out a series of initiatives that are being implemented to achieve the shared vision.
• When the Agreement on Land, Rail, Marine and Air Transport Preclearance between the Government of Canada and the Government of the United States of America (Preclearance Agreement) comes into force, it will ensure a consistent approach to all preclearance activities for all four modes of transportation.
• Under the truck cargo pre-inspection pilot, participating trucks were pre-inspected on the Canadian side of the border before entering the United States. The Peace Bridge pilot demonstrated that pre-inspection could, with full implementation, reduce wait times and border congestion.
• As of April 2015, NEXUS had 1.2 million members. The eGate pilot project gives NEXUS members 24/7 access to a dedicated Canada-bound NEXUS lane at the Peace Bridge, Fort Erie, Ontario.
• Two-way trade between Canada and the United States was nearly $800 billion last year.

Quotes

"Our Government continues to enhance security at the border, enabling economic prosperity and protecting our critical infrastructure. Working together with our partners in the U.S. will help our countries achieve our goal of addressing threats at the earliest point possible and facilitating the flow of legitimate goods and travellers."
- The Honourable Steven Blaney, Canada's Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness

Associated Links
Beyond the Border: A Shared Vision for Perimeter Security and Economic Competitiveness
Beyond the Border Action Plan
Canada and the United States sign historic preclearance agreement

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SOURCE Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada

Jeremy Laurin, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, 613-991-2924; Media Relations, Public Safety Canada, 613-991-0657