| Smart borders: US/Canada joint anti-terrorism actions
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Irony is often a partner to tragedy, a collection of coincidences, consequences, and random circumstances that can make the kind of grief we experienced on September 11 even harder to process. One of the clearer ironies tied to the attacks on New York and Washington, D.C., is that the decades of good will and cooperation that made the U.S.- Canadian border the "longest open border in the world" eventually made it a target for terrorists as well. The support of Canada and firm direction from Commissioner Robert C. Bonner have played an important part in shaping the nation’s response to acts of terrorism.Just hours after the attacks, Denis Lefebvre, Assistant Commissioner, Canada Customs and Revenue Agency (CCRA), called U.S. Customs. The message was simple: "Whatever you need - however we can help." Commissioner Bonner's response was just as direct. He made it clear that anti-terrorism had become the agency's highest priority, and he quickly gave the green light for officials on both sides of the border to begin joint planning efforts. Cooperation and good willCanada's unequivocal support has triggered a series of joint initiatives and planning that's transforming U.S.–Canadian border security. On November 16, 2001, Commissioner Bonner and Robert Wright, Canadian Commissioner of Customs, signed the Ottawa Framework, a document that outlined policies and actions designed to improve security and anti-terrorism on our shared and external borders without hindering the flow of legitimate trade and travel. | | Photo Credit: Gerald L. Nino |
| U.S. Customs Inspector John Wilda and Canadian Customs inspector review invoice at the Port of Alburg, the only joint facility in Vermont.
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On December 11, 2001, Director Tom Ridge, Office of Homeland Security, and John Manley, the Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs, signed a "Declaration for the Creation of a Secure and Smart Border." That declaration marked the end of the planning process and formally launched 30 major initiatives designed to strengthen the performance of both customs organizations in four critical areas: secure flow of people, secure flow of goods, secure infrastructure, and coordination and information sharing in the enforcement of these objectives.The results promise to be dramatic, and include the potential implementation of a single border-wide alternative inspection system, a hardening of remote ports, expanded information sharing, more effective use of advance passenger processing information, and radical changes for commercial pre-screening at land and sea ports of entry. The Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) and Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) have also pledged to work hand-in-hand on visa policy coordination, compatible immigration databases, and refugee/asylum coordination — cooperation that promises significant results. Factor in the creation of new USA/Canada working groups, close monitoring and oversight by Commissioner Bonner, and frequent joint meetings of Director Ridge and Mr. Manley, and the Commissioners of INS, CIC, USCS, and CCRA, and the picture that emerges is one that guarantees a no-holds-barred approach to combating terrorism on the northern border. |
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