Canada, U.S. agree on border measures

TORONTO -- The United States and Canada signed an agreement Wednesday to create a "smart border" that officials said would increase border security but ensure the speedy flow of goods and people between the two countries.

Under the agreement signed by Tom Ridge, director of homeland security, and Canadian Foreign Minister John Manley, trucks loaded with goods bound for either country would be precleared and "electronically sealed" and then would be allowed to go into a fast lane, helping to speed the flow of trade across the border, which amounts to about $500-billion a year.

Canada is the United States' biggest trading partner. About $1.3-billion in goods cross the border each day. Many U.S. factories depend on immediate and daily delivery of parts from Canada; some have been forced to close as a result of a tightened border and long backups in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States.

Since then, officials in both countries have been discussing ways to ease commercial traffic congestion but also to make sure the border does not become a sieve for terrorists.

"President Bush sent me here to carry on our work . . . to make North America more secure and more prosperous," Ridge said at a news conference in Ottawa. "There is no tradeoff between people's security and a trade-(friendly) border. We need both."

Ridge, who met on Monday with Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien and U.S. Ambassador to Canada Paul Cellucci, said the plan would make it easier for "the average Canadian and American to cross the border . . . and make it easier to keep terrorists out of North America."

The "smart border" agreement would restart the suspended Nexus program in which "preapproved frequent travelers" could move across the border without delay. Lanes also would be dedicated for precleared trucks carrying cargo. New technology would be used to screen people and goods.

"The security of the two countries will be strengthened," Manley said. "Our border will remain a model to the world."

The agreement comes as critics in Canada have raised concerns about whether Canada was giving up some of its independence to fall in line with security demands from the United States.

U.S. officials have expressed concern about Canada's asylum policies that allow refugees to go free until they are called for hearings. Refugees in the United States are held until their claims are decided.

Manley denied that Canada was giving up any of its sovereignty Wednesday, saying that the plan increases security for Canada. "It is not a question of ceding our sovereignty," Manley said. "Canadians are as concerned about having a safe and secure environment as those in the United States. . . . We have to make sure we have secure borders but also ensure the free flow of goods and people."

U.S. officials have expressed concern about whether Canada, because of its relatively lenient immigration policies, had become a safe haven for terrorists.

In an indictment of terrorist suspect Zacarias Moussaoui, U.S. officials said terrorist sleeper cells had infiltrated Canada as well as other countries, where they staged plans for terrorist acts.

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