U.S. and Canada Issue Declaration on "Perimeter Approach" for Security & Trade

Beyond the Border Declaration

At the meeting, the U.S. and Canada issued a declaration for a new vision for managing shared responsibilities, not just at the border, but “beyond the border.”

Intend to Pursue Partnership Within, at and Away from Border

According to the declaration, the U.S. and Canada intend to pursue a perimeter approach to security, working together within, at, and away from the borders of the two countries to enhance security and accelerate the legitimate flow of people, goods, and services between the two countries. The U.S. and Canada intend to do so in partnership, and in ways that support economic competitiveness, job creation, and prosperity.

Key Areas Will be Trade Facilitation, Law Enforcement and Infrastructure

The declaration states that the key areas of U.S.-Canada cooperation are (i) address threats early. (ii) trade facilitation, economic growth, and jobs; (iii) integrated cross-border law enforcement; and (iv) critical infrastructure and cybersecurity.

The U.S. and Canada will:

Streamline procedures for customs processing, regulatory compliance. Reduce the cost of conducting legitimate business across the border by implementing, where practicable, common practices and streamlined procedures for customs processing and regulatory compliance.

Integrate cargo security strategy. Develop an integrated cargo security strategy that ensures compatible screening methods for goods and cargo before they depart foreign ports bound for the U.S. or Canada, so that once they enter the territory of either country, the U.S. and Canada can, together, accelerate subsequent crossings at land ports of entry between the two countries.

Manage border traffic flow. Pursue creative and effective solutions to manage the flow of traffic between the countries and focus investment in modern infrastructure and technology at the busiest land ports of entry, which are essential to economic well-being.

Ensure sufficient border crossing capacity. Strive to ensure that U.S.-Canada border crossings have the capacity to support the volume of commercial and passenger traffic inherent to economic growth and job creation on both sides of the border.

Bi-national port of entry committees. Enhance risk management practices by planning together, organizing bi-national port of entry committees to coordinate planning and funding, building, expanding or modernizing shared border management facilities and border infrastructure where appropriate, and using information technology solutions.

Integrate, where practicable, development of joint facilities and programs. Integrate efforts and where practicable, to work together to develop joint facilities and programs -- within and beyond the U.S. and Canada -- to increase efficiency and effectiveness for both security and trade.

Expand trusted traveler and trader program. Build on the success of current joint programs by expanding trusted traveler and trader programs, harmonizing existing programs, and automating processes at the land border to increase efficiency.

Improve intelligence and information sharing. Develop a common understanding of the threat environment through improved intelligence and information sharing, as well as joint threat assessments to support informed risk management decisions.

Strengthen health security partnership. Continue strengthening the health security partnership, through existing mechanisms for cooperation on health emergencies, and by further enhancing the collective preparedness and response capacity to a range of health security threats, including influenza pandemics.

Establish agreements, policies to ensure timely information sharing. Uncover and disrupt threats that endanger the security of both the U.S. and Canada and establish the necessary agreements or policies to ensure timely sharing of information for combined efforts to counter the threats.

Establish identity of travelers. Establish and verify the identities of travelers and conduct screening at the earliest possible opportunity. The U.S. and Canada intend to work toward common technical standards for the collection, transmission, and matching of biometrics that enable the sharing of information on travelers in real time.

Create integrated U.S.-Canada entry-exit system. Work towards an integrated U.S.-Canada entry-exit system, including work towards the exchange of relevant entry information in the land environment so that documented entry into one country serves to verify exit from the other country.

Formulate joint U.S.-Canada privacy protection principles. Formulate jointly U.S.-Canada privacy protection principles that should inform and guide work in relation to facilities, operations, programs, and other initiatives contemplated by the Declaration.

Next generation of integrated cross-border law enforcement operations. Build on existing bilateral law enforcement programs to develop the next generation of integrated cross-border law enforcement operations that leverage cross-designated officers and resources to jointly identify, assess, and interdict persons and organizations involved in transnational crime.

Respond to disruptions of critical infrastructure. Prevent, respond to, and recover from physical and cyber disruptions of critical infrastructure and implement a comprehensive cross-border approach to strengthen the resilience of critical and cyber infrastructure with strong cross-border engagement.

Strengthen cybersecurity. Strengthen cybersecurity to protect vital government and critical digital infrastructure of national importance, and to make cyberspace safer for all U.S. and Canadian citizens.

Enhance security of integrated transportation networks. Defend and protect use of air, land, sea, space, and cyberspace, and enhance the security of U.S.-Canada integrated transportation and communications networks.

Declaration to be Implemented by a U.S.-Canada Beyond Border Working Group

The U.S. and Canada intend to establish a Beyond the Border Working Group (BBWG) composed of representatives from the appropriate departments and offices of their respective federal governments.

The BBWG will report to their respective leaders in the coming months, and after a period of consultation, with a joint Plan of Action to realize the goals of this declaration, that would, where appropriate, rely upon existing bilateral border-related groups, for implementation. The BBWG will report on the implementation of this declaration to Leaders on an annual basis. The mandate of the BBWG will be reviewed after three years.

U.S.-Canada Regulatory Cooperation Council

During their discussions, the U.S. and Canada have directed the creation of a U.S.-Canada Regulatory Cooperation Council (RCC), composed of senior regulatory, trade, and foreign affairs officials from both governments. The RCC will have a two-year mandate to work together to promote economic growth, job creation, and benefits to U.S. and Canada consumers and businesses through increased regulatory transparency and coordination. The RCC’s first meeting will be convened within 90 days by the relevant agencies.

(See ITT’s Online Archives or 10/19/10 news, 10101912, for BP summary of CBP Commissioner Bersin’s speech in which he noted that the U.S. and Canada were engaging on a vision of “perimeter security” on a continental scale.)

Remarks by President Obama, Prime Minister Harper are available here.

Declaration is available here.

Statement on RCC is available here.