A “zone of confidence” between Canada and the United States was called for in a letter delivered Monday to President Bush and Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chrétien.
MSU President M. Peter McPherson convened the group of 21 U.S. and Canadian leaders that signed the letter, which outlines ideas to address security and transportation concerns along the roughly 4,000-mile-long border, in light of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
“I think many in the government hold these views and I know they will be considered. We are encouraging them to develop (the letter’s ideas) further,” said McPherson, who helped negotiate the 1989 U.S.-Canada Free Trade Agreement.
“In the short term, we need to be sure there are enough people resources to make sure the border doesn’t slow things down.”
More than $1.4 billion of trade is done in more than 200 million crossings over the U.S.-Canada border annually.
The letter praises and encourages the continuation of using resources, such as the U.S. National Guard, to keep the borders open and running smoothly after the Sept. 11 attacks.
The letter calls for a “smart border” approach, which would use technology, resource sharing and information exchange to create a more efficient flow of travelers and trade across the border.
One resource sharing idea would combine the U.S. INSpass and the Canadian CANpass, which are held by frequent travelers who pose no security risk, to speed up border crossings.
McPherson said fewer than 100 companies do a majority of trade across the border.
“We need to focus on key problems,” he said. “Probably only 1 percent of trade needs to be looked at extraordinarily closely.”
The letter’s long-term goals call for increased security efforts in both countries for people and goods entering from overseas.
“You really need to think about how to have full security around the border of the two countries, hence the zone of confidence,” McPherson said. “At ports of entry (in both countries), their procedures need to be comparable and produce the same outcomes.”
McPherson said one discrepancy may be that Canadian law allows those seeking asylum to enter Canada while their cases are being decided.
James Blanchard, former ambassador to Canada and former Michigan governor, also signed the letter. He said discussion of border relations began before Sept. 11, but they are more critical now.
“This current challenge needs to be seized as an opportunity to improve flow and make it a more secure flow,” he said. “The people in Michigan and Ontario have more to gain and more to lose by holdups at the border - this is our economy and our jobs.”
Blanchard said he expects the letter’s plan to gain national support in both countries. He said he has already spoken to Tom Ridge, director of Homeland Security, about resolving border issues quickly.
U.S. Sen. Carl Levin, D-Detroit, said in a statement to The State News that the letter makes needed recommendations on how to improve the border’s efficiency. He said ports of entry have incurred “unacceptable” 12-hour delays.
And Levin said the goals of protecting the nation and ensuring an efficient flow of trade are even more important to Southeast Michigan, which handles 50 percent of all U.S.-Canada trade.
“I hope the recommendations will be given serious consideration because they come from some of our nation’s top leaders
