NBTA and NBTA Canada attended the Canadian/American Border Trade Alliance Conference, "Canadian/U.S. Border: A Unified Focus," held September 9-11 in Washington, D.C. NBTA once again sponsored the keynote speaker luncheon, this year featuring Canadian Ambassador to the United States, Michael Wilson. Ambassador Wilson touched on the differences of opinion about border control Canada and the United States share. However, he went on to say that differences of opinion are common among family members, comparing the U.S. and Canada to a family, looking out for one another's best interests.
U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security, Michael Chertoff, spoke to conference attendees, as well, reiterating how important it is for Americans to apply for and posses passports. He also discussed the request to exempt senior citizens from the new cross-border passport restrictions. While children may currently cross the Canadian/American border with a valid birth certificate, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has yet to permit seniors to do the same.
Another issue discussed at the conference is the effort of Canadian Provinces and American States to enhance drivers licenses so that they can be used as an alterative to a passport when crossing borders. While agreements have yet to be reached, Washington State is currently operating a pilot program to explore options.
NBTA looks forward to sponsoring next year's Canadian/American Border Trade Alliance Conference April 27-29, 2008, in Ottawa, Ontario.
For more information about the Canadian/American Border Trade Alliance, visit http://www.canambta.org/.
Return to Connecting News September 2007