Getting Smart Along the Canadian Border
OLIVER B. PATTON
WASHINGTON EDITOR
In just five years, traffic across U.S. borders with Mexico and Canada has increased 25% — while the border crossing infrastructure has remained essentially the same.
It is no wonder that the borders are points of extreme vulnerability, concludes Andrew Maner, director of the office of trade relations for the U.S. Customs Service.
Terrorism is forcing fundamental changes in the way Customs does business, Maner said. The key to improving security is to control information, and to push customs and security checks further back into the distribution chain.
These are the aims of a new, far-reaching agreement between the U.S. and Canada to set a new standard for border control. The idea behind the agreement is to make the freight more secure — without slowing it down.
"Security cannot come at the expense of moving commerce efficiently," said U.S. Deputy Transportation Secretary Michael Jackson.
Using more people, new technology and shared information, officials on each side of the border hope to foil terrorist plans and avoid the backups that inflict steep financial costs on distribution systems.
They've got their work cut out for them.
This is arguably the most important border in the world. Just in terms of volume, it sets the standard: $1.4 billion a day in freight. One crossing, the Ambassador Bridge between Detroit and Windsor, Ont., has recorded as many as 7,000 trucks a day. More than that, the border is remarkably open despite its bottlenecks, a practical and symbolic condition that reflects the shared values of these democratic, pluralistic societies.
When Osama bin Laden calls for more attacks on the "key pillars" of the U.S. economy, the border comes to mind as a likely target. Certainly, the U.S. and Canada have recognized the threat and are approaching the issue with greater urgency than ever before.
The "smart border" declaration signed in December by U.S. Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge and Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs John Manley is one result of this new urgency.
The 30-point plan covers movement of people and goods, as well as infrastructure and information-sharing.
The key idea is to expand and tighten the security net around the border. For example, both countries plan to issue permanent residents an ID card with a biometric identifier, and to pre-approve travelers who regularly cross the border. They also intend to toughen screening of applicants for asylum, and to share that information with each other.
For trucking, the plan will mean complementary U.S.-Canadian systems for processing freight and personnel. Pre-clearance and post-clearance will be a big part of the program, at inland facilities away from the border as well as at remote joint facilities — and on the factory floor.
Incoming marine shipments will be a particular target. These containers are widely considered to be a point of vulnerability, since there are so many of them and it is difficult to keep track of what is in them. The plan envisions government and industry officials jointly developing electronic data on the containers, using the commercial manifests.
The plan also addresses congestion — a major problem since nearly 70% of north-south traffic comes through just six border crossings. Both countries say they intend to improve crossing infrastructure, and use technologies such as transponders and electronic container seals to speed the flow of goods.
Clearly, it will take time to put these pieces in place, but the intent is to make it happen. The final line in the agreement reads: "These measures are regarded by both governments as matters of the highest priority."
Return to Main Article
