McGuinty, Doer Work to Ease Border Crossings

(Globe & Mail — Nov. 26/2007)

The Ontario and Manitoba governments are working to make it easier for travellers to visit the United States without a passport, but Canadians shouldn't get the wrong message and consider it an invitation to shop more in border cities, Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty says.

Mr. McGuinty met yesterday with Manitoba Premier Gary Doer to discuss new high-tech driver's licences the provinces are working on, which will contain citizenship data and could be used in place of passports at the border.

Streamlining the process to cross into the United States might tempt more people into shopping stateside, but Mr. McGuinty said shoppers should ignore the lure of irresistible deals and support their local economy….

The talk of easier border crossings follows a Statistics Canada report last week that found day trips to the United States hit a six-year high in September, due in no small part to Canadians taking advantage of a strong dollar and lower prices at U.S. retailers….

Mr. McGuinty said there is no exact timeline on when the new licences will be brought in, and the premiers are waiting on the U.S. government to reveal what specifications they need to satisfy their security concerns.

The provinces will then work with Ottawa to integrate citizenship information into the new ID card, said Mr. Doer, who added he is confident that the new standard will also encourage Americans to visit Canada and bolster tourism.