Canada’s Public Safety Minister Discusses Border Security with U.S. Officials

(Canadian Press)

Persistent Canadian attempts to get the United States to help ease long lines and congestion at Canada-U.S. border crossings are finally getting a hearing under President Barack Obama’s administration, Canada’s public safety minister said Wednesday.

In a meeting with Obama’s homeland security secretary, Peter Van Loan said he suggested a pilot project that would allow commercial vehicles hauling goods to the U.S. to clear American customs before arriving at the border.

The idea, known as land pre-clearance and repeatedly dismissed by the previous George W. Bush administration, would be similar to the way air passengers at some Canadian airports clear customs before arriving in the United States.

“We did gain a commitment today to examine that issue again,” Van Loan said after his meeting with Janet Napolitano.

“I suggested the Detroit-Windsor corridor, which is a particular choke point where we’ve got pressures on resources - that might be a good place to examine for a pilot project,” he said.

“They did agree to go back and our officials will work on it with their officials and see if there are ways of achieving some success on land pre-clearance.’’

In 2007 alone, the annual two-way trade in goods and services between Canada and the United States was over $576 billion. Trucks carry approximately 80 per cent of Canada’s trade with the U.S., with one truck crossing the U.S. border every two seconds.

But beefed-up security measures in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks have resulted in slowdowns and congestion at many border points that persist eight years after 9-11. Read more here.