Canadians concerned about border issues

By RICHARD HANNERS

Whitefish Pilot

Overly restrictive border-crossing requirements could hurt tourism, trade and international relations between the U.S. and Canada, the Canadian government says.

Members of the Consulate General of Canada in Denver, Marc Boucher, Jennifer Cook and Jamie Caton, dropped off the official Canadian position at the Pilot last week on their way to join celebrations for the 75th anniversary of the Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park.

The three also met with local tourist industry representatives here and conveyed the Canadian position on this important subject.

"Canada and the U.S. have a unique relationship characterized by common values, close community and border ties, integrated economic relationships, and a commitment to shared security and prosperity," the official Canadian response to the U.S.'s proposal for increased border-security measures states.

The Canadians are not alone in their stance against passports, which are expensive and time-consuming to obtain.

On Sept. 6, during a conference on the Peace Park, Montana Lt. Gov. John Bohlinger also voiced opposition to a passport requirement.

Bohlinger noted that the cost of passports was prohibitive, especially for large families. His family, he noted, would have to spend about $800 in passports alone.

He also pointed out the economic impact of something as onerous as a passport — particularly when visitors spend more than $3 billion in Montana.

The Canadian government supports the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI), and since the September 2001 terrorist attacks, Canada has invested more than $10 billion on security measures. But the Canadians are concerned about unintended consequences of further WHTI security measures.

"We believe it can and must be implemented in a manner which does not needlessly disrupt legitimate tourism and travel, or undermine the historic and unique economic and social relationships between our two countries," the Canadian response states.

Last year, about 160 million two-way border-crossings were recorded. More than 40 million Canadians came to the U.S. that year, spending about $11.6 billion. More than half of those Canadians made same-day visits, many of which were spontaneous.

Montana has benefited from that travel. Canadians made more than 459,000 visits to Montana last year, spending $85 million in the Treasure State. And Montanans made more than 120,700 visits to Canada, spending $50 million there.

Canada is also by far the U.S.'s largest international trading partner, topping $710 billion a year and supporting 5.2 million U.S. jobs.

For Montana, that translates into $3.3 billion in imports and $354 million in exports. About 72 percent of the imports is crude petroleum, and about 17 percent of exports are paper, paperboard and wood products.

"Uncertainty about new entry requirements tends to drive business costs up, making North American business less competitive in a global marketplace," the Canadian response states.

In a time when "just-in-time" logistics is key to success, border delays can hurt business — but they also pose other hazards.

"Delays due to traveler confusion at the border can lead to longer lines for commercial traffic," the Canadian response states. "As many industry representatives have stated in recent years, 'an idling or parked truck is itself a security risk.'"

Citing the "unprecedented demand for passports" when WHTI requirements were implemented on Jan. 23, the Canadians predict that full implementation of the WHTI requirements next summer could reduce Canadian visits to the U.S. by 7.4 million, resulting in a $2 billion loss.

Only 44 percent of Canadians and 30 percent of Americans have passports, the Canadians note, so they have proposed alternatives to WHTI that include:

? Use of a special "passport card" that both U.S. and Canadian officials are studying.

? Exempting minors from needing a passport in some cases.

? Use of an "enhanced driver's license." The Canadians note that the summer 2008 deadline would make development of that document difficult.

? Use of NEXUS cards for frequent local travelers and FAST cards for truck drivers.

? Developing a system for emergency-service personnel to use, not just for themselves but for people in their care. Family members of evacuated patients have been refused entry because they did not have a passport.

? Accepting Canadian-issued Certificates of Indian Status and the Canadian Seafarer's Identity Document.

? Extending the WHTI phase-in period beyond summer 2008, and implementing WHTI requirements fully "when satisfactory amounts of compliant documents are available and accessible."