First annual progress reports issued on the Beyond the Border and Regulatory Cooperation Council Action Plans Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Barack Obama, President of the United States, today welcomed the release of the first annual Beyond the Border Action Plan Implementation Report and the Canada-United States Regulatory Cooperation Council (RCC) Joint Action Plan Progress [...]
First annual progress reports issued on the Beyond the Border and Regulatory Cooperation Council Action Plans
Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Barack Obama, President of the United States, today welcomed the release of the first annual Beyond the Border Action Plan Implementation Report and the Canada-United States Regulatory Cooperation Council (RCC) Joint Action Plan Progress Report, which demonstrate progress made by Canada and the United States on perimeter security and economic competitiveness.
“Today’s reports demonstrate real and substantive progress on improving the management of our shared border and improving regulatory cooperation, both of which will improve the flow of people and goods between our countries,” said the Prime Minister. “The Beyond the Border and the Regulatory Cooperation Council Action Plans are laying the foundation for more jobs and growth in Canada and the United States by making it easier for firms in both countries to do business.”
The Beyond the Border and RCC Action Plans, announced by both leaders on December 7, 2011, set out ambitious milestones designed to advance economic opportunity, improve regulatory cooperation and enhance security between our two countries. Since then, significant progress has been made, including modernizing our joint border management, the development of the first joint Border Infrastructure Investment Plan, the release of a joint Cybersecurity Action Plan, improvements to the NEXUS trusted traveller program, mutual recognition of our air cargo security programs, and the development of joint standards and greater alignment of regulatory systems.
As the action plans continue to be implemented, the Government of Canada will keep Canadians informed of progress, including through the issuing of progress reports.
Both reports are available here.
The Canada Border Services Agency announced Dec. 7 the launch of a pilot program at the Blue Water Bridge in Sarnia, Ontario, that aims to further speed the clearance of cargo at the U.S.-Canada border for trusted traders. Under this six-month test companies will be able to use the Free and Secure Trade (FAST) lanes [...]
The Canada Border Services Agency announced Dec. 7 the launch of a pilot program at the Blue Water Bridge in Sarnia, Ontario, that aims to further speed the clearance of cargo at the U.S.-Canada border for trusted traders. Under this six-month test companies will be able to use the Free and Secure Trade (FAST) lanes and booths at this bridge if they are members of either the Partners in Protection or Customs Self-Assessment program, not both as previously required. The CBSA states that if this pilot is successful the change may be permanently implemented at all three ports where FAST is currently available.
Source: STR Trade Report
Click here to read the complete press release from the Canadian Government.
Free FITT Webinar: April 25 In the past decade, there have been numerous official pronouncements about border improvements. The most recent and comprehensive of these is the Border Action Plan. Canada’s customs brokers are on trade’s front line, and the organization that represents them is engaged in making sense of the many plans, announcements and [...]
Free FITT Webinar: April 25
In the past decade, there have been numerous official pronouncements about border improvements. The most recent and comprehensive of these is the Border Action Plan. Canada’s customs brokers are on trade’s front line, and the organization that represents them is engaged in making sense of the many plans, announcements and strategies that have the potential to change the operations and profitability of international traders.
While we can’t know if the elements of the Action Plan will ever become reality, given the ambitious time-lines and the scepticism that exists in spite of the high-level commitment, we cannot afford to ignore them.
During this webinar, the content of the Border Action Plan will be reviewed in addition to addressing other current hot topics for traders, such as new requirements from Natural Resources Canada, Canada Food Inspection Agency operations and CBSA’s recent re-assessment activities.
Date and time: Wednesday, April 25, 2012 1:00 pm (EDT)
Duration: 1 hour
To register click here.
FITT (Forum for International Trade Training) equips individuals and businesses with the practical skills they need to succeed in today’s competitive global marketplace. A not-for-profit organization established by industry and government, FITT develops international business programs, sets competency standards, and designs the certification and accreditation programs for the Certified International Trade Professional (CITP) designation.
Last week, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Canada Border Services Agency hosted a Bi-National Commercial Town Hall with stakeholders to discuss the joint U.S.-Canada declaration of a shared approach to security, the Beyond the Border Action Plan. Officials from both sides of the border were present alongside Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) Deputy Commissioner [...]
Last week, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Canada Border Services Agency hosted a Bi-National Commercial Town Hall with stakeholders to discuss the joint U.S.-Canada declaration of a shared approach to security, the Beyond the Border Action Plan. Officials from both sides of the border were present alongside Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) Deputy Commissioner Winkowski and Canada Border Services Agency President Luc Portelance.
The stakeholder meetings on Feb. 28 and 29 in Niagara Falls gathered input regarding trade and commercial cross-border activity. Topics covered included the Integrated Cargo Security Strategy (ICCS); Advanced Data Requirement and Perimeter Screening of Cargo; the Single Window Initiative; Harmonizing Low Value Shipment processes; and the Advance Trade Data (eManifest) initiatives.
“The Beyond the Border agreement forged by President Obama and Prime Minister Harper is about strengthening and expediting trade and travel between our countries,” said U.S. Customs and Border Protection Acting Deputy Commissioner, Thomas Winkowski. “It’s about finding common-sense solutions to our most complicated problems. And it’s about extending national security for both of our nations, well away from the border.”
“As these joint meetings with stakeholders indicate, we are committed to working with our U.S. partners to bring about greater consistency, efficiency and predictability in the management of our shared border,” said CBSA President Portelance. “We understand that business operates in a world where time is money, and where deadlines are vital to integrated, cross-border supply chains. That is why we continue to involve our stakeholders in the implementation of the Beyond the Border Action Plan initiatives to keep the border open to lawful travel and trade.”
As a key player in discussions on any border-related changes, the Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA) participated in the Border Commercial Consultative Committee (BCCC) along with members of Canada’s trade community. “I am encouraged by the discussions held this week on the implementation of the Border Action Plan,” said Jennifer Fox, CTA’s vice-president of Customs and compliance.
The Beyond the Border Action Plan consists of 32 separate initiatives. It calls for enhancements to the benefits of programs that help trusted businesses and travelers move efficiently across the border; introduces new measures to facilitate movement and trade across the border while reducing the administrative burden for business; and invests in improvements to our shared border infrastructure and technology. By expediting lawful trade and commerce into and across our shared border, the U.S. and Canada seek to enhance their economic competitiveness, create jobs and support economic growth.
The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) is providing advance notice to Information Technology (IT) suppliers regarding its efforts to put the Action Plan for Perimeter Security and Economic Competitiveness to work for Canada. The CBSA will post a communique on MERX, Canada’s electronic tendering service, this week as a heads up to IT suppliers to [...]
The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) is providing advance notice to Information Technology (IT) suppliers regarding its efforts to put the Action Plan for Perimeter Security and Economic Competitiveness to work for Canada.
The CBSA will post a communique on MERX, Canada’s electronic tendering service, this week as a heads up to IT suppliers to encourage them to familiarize themselves with the details of the Action Plan (www.borderactionplan.gc.ca).
“Our Government’s priority is the economy and tomorrow our government is taking concrete steps towards implementing the Border Action Plan,” said the Honourable Vic Toews, Minister of Public Safety. “We are encouraging small and medium enterprises to get involved. This is an exciting opportunity which will create jobs and boost economic growth. Once these initiatives are in place, our border will be more efficient for travellers and traders alike.”
The CBSA has a lead role in implementing initiatives under the Action Plan announced by Prime Minister Harper and U.S. President Obama last December. By providing suppliers with a first glance at the upcoming procurement requirements, this communique demonstrates Canada’s commitment to an open and transparent process.
On December 7, 2011, the Prime Minister of Canada and the President of the United States announced an Action Plan containing more than 30 initiatives designed to speed up legitimate trade and travel, and improve North American security. As the Government of Canada Agency responsible for providing integrated border services, the CBSA is leading or involved with many of the Action Plan’s initiatives.
This communique introduces a new IT Services Supply Chain for the CBSA which will help to establish up to 10 work streams to streamline procurement for the Action Plan and other priority files. Each of the predefined Work Streams will be comprised of multiple resources within a variety of resource categories. The procurement of this Supply Chain will be based on the Public Works and Government Services Canada Task Based Informatics Professional Services (TBIPS) supply arrangement. It is expected that up to three contracts per work stream will be issued.
David Jacobson, the U.S. Ambassador to Canada sat down recently with TVO’s Steve Paikin to discuss his role as Ambassador and the new border agreement between Canada and the United States. Source: Television Ontario
David Jacobson, the U.S. Ambassador to Canada sat down recently with TVO’s Steve Paikin to discuss his role as Ambassador and the new border agreement between Canada and the United States.
Source: Television Ontario
Jason Myers, President and CEO of Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters When Prime Minister Stephen Harper and President Barack Obama announced their shared vision for perimeter security and economic competitiveness in February, many people immediately wrote off the exercise as another in a long line of attempts to “fix” border irritants between our countries. This was [...]
Jason Myers, President and CEO of Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters
When Prime Minister Stephen Harper and President Barack Obama announced their shared vision for perimeter security and economic competitiveness in February, many people immediately wrote off the exercise as another in a long line of attempts to “fix” border irritants between our countries.
This was the fifth similar effort in the past dozen years, starting with the shared border declarations in the late 1990s, the 32-point action plan in 2001, the Security and Prosperity Partnership of 2005 and the North American Competitiveness Council of 2007. To be blunt, these efforts produced some results, but didn’t succeed in solving the real challenges businesses on both sides of the border face in their day-to-day operations.
The costs of bad regulatory and antiquated border policies are too significant to ignore. They cost Canada five per cent of GDP every year – that’s more than $50 billion out of the pockets of consumers. Furthermore, they reduce corporate investment in employees, productive capacity, and innovation.
Why are the costs so extreme? Canadian and US manufacturers don’t simply trade with each other; we build things together. Cars, food products, telecommunications equipment, steel and metal products, are just some of the goods that Canadian and Americans manufacture together and use to compete together in global markets.
That’s the good news.
These component parts however cross our border multiple times before a finished product is ready for retail.
While integration has increased substantially since the signing of 1988 FTA, the regulatory system has not kept up with the business realities. Product regulations and border processes today are often rooted in an economic reality from 50 years ago. Despite integrated manufacturing, many products cannot be designed, tested and built for sale in both countries all as a result of slight differences in regulatory standards.
That’s the bad news.
Over the past decade, Ottawa and Washington have demanded more information about every component of products crossing our border, a demand that is often multiple, repetitive and costly. At the same time, foreign produced goods – our competition both in this marketplace and globally – face no such hurdles. Goods are typically manufactured within a single jurisdiction where finished products are imported into Canada or the US with a single customs compliance and security process, dramatically reducing costs for production and ultimately, the price for consumers.
On February 4, the leaders set out a very ambitious, yet straightforward objective – improve “perimeter” security against third-country threats while accelerating the legitimate flow of people, goods and services between our two countries. Improvements were to be measured through real, bottom-line results for companies and less congestion at our border.
Throughout this process, and based on the feedback from our member companies, we have worked in both capitals to define what we believe is the way forward.
Agility and time are the currency of today’s new normal, and businesses need regulations that allow companies to invest and grow, not whither and die.
We don’t need smart regulation – we need common-sense harmonization that includes a single electronic window to report necessary information; a system where business travellers cross our border with minimum hassle and a system where border agencies put the word “trust” back into trusted trader programs.
Past efforts on our border have simply not been enough. The challenges our members face in continental North America are now greater than ever. Free trade agreements will bring even more competition for our products.
Our members can compete on product quality and reliability, but we cannot compete when archaic rules and misinformed border policies are a competitive disadvantage and stifle the successes of our integration.
It’s time we manufactured our future together. It’s time we move forward and bring the Canada-US partnership into the 21st century. Jobs on both sides of the 49th parallel depend on it. The clock is ticking.
Jayson Myers is the president and CEO of Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters – the country’s largest industry and trade association.
Canada’s new border deal with the United States could lead to fewer missed connections at the airport, more American law-enforcement officials working on Canadian soil, harmonized U.S. standards for prescription drugs, new names for cuts of meat and fewer inspections of food cargo as both governments strive to ensure better information sharing and less red [...]
Canada’s new border deal with the United States could lead to fewer missed connections at the airport, more American law-enforcement officials working on Canadian soil, harmonized U.S. standards for prescription drugs, new names for cuts of meat and fewer inspections of food cargo as both governments strive to ensure better information sharing and less red tape for companies trying to get their goods and people across the largest land border in the world.
The wide-ranging Perimeter Security and Economic Competitiveness Action Plan was described by Prime Minister Stephen Harper Wednesday as the most significant step forward in Canada-U.S. co-operation since the North American Free Trade Agreement.
For cargo from overseas, the U.S and Canadian governments hope to de-clutter the border by screening goods only once — when they first arrive.
Two pilot projects in Prince Rupert and Montreal will be launched in 2012. Shipments coming from overseas will only be screened on arrival and won’t be inspected on subsequent border crossings unless absolutely necessary. If the pilot projects work, single screening will become the new norm.
For businesses, other pilot projects are being developed, such as a pre-inspection of cargo carried on trains, which will begin in September. Another year-long project will involve issuing advance clearance for trucks carrying fresh meat.
The governments will also move to eliminate red tape. For example, an American firm wanting to import fridges currently has to file paperwork with nine government departments, in the future all those applications will be filed through one website.
The trade compliance implications of the new border deal for importers and exporters will doubtless be many and varied as aspects of the sweeping initiative are progressively implemented in future. A number of key features of the 29-point deal — including an accord on regulatory reform — are estimated to still be three to four years away from practical realization.
Related Information:
• Perimeter Security and Economic Competitiveness Action Plan
• Fact sheet from the White House
