Obama - Harper Border Action Plan

  

President Barack Obama and Canada's Prime Minister Stephen Harper met today in Washington, D.C. and released a New Action Plan for U.S.-Canada Cooperation.   

  

"These agreements represent the most significant step forward in Canada-U.S. co-operation since the North American Free Trade Agreement," Harper said Wednesday in Washington, D.C. with U.S. President Barack Obama.

  

President Obama said, "We're going to make it easier to conduct the trade and travel that creates jobs."

  

The Perimeter Security and Economic Competitiveness Action Plan identifies concrete steps to increase jobs and trade between the US and Canada and procedures to align regulations on products between our two nations. The joint action plan was developed through a coordinated consultative process and is intended to produce specific outcomes and timelines to improve border security and enhance economic cooperation by streamlining regulations to increase trade. It outlines specific steps the US and Canada are working on to better partner in trade, provide security in a risk based approach, and make it easier for legitimate goods and travel to take place between our two countries, enhancing our joint competitiveness in global markets.   

  

The Action Plan lays out a structure with responsibilities and timelines for success. It is a first step, and it will require leadership on both sides of the border to implement innovative solutions that improve the current trading and security relationship between the U.S. and Canada. The plan serves as a much needed framework for U.S. and Canadian Agencies to work collaboratively with stakeholders to build solutions for the future that make all of our businesses more competitive in the global marketplace.

  

Of notable interest here in the northwest related to our Cascades Train service from Eugene, OR to Vancouver, B.C., US Customs will conduct full preclearance of travellers and accompanying goods at Vancouver, B.C., for passenger rail and cruise ship traffic destined to the United States. Negotiations to this end will be completed by the end of 2012.

 

Under the action plan, companies will have a "single window" to submit all import data electronically rather than requiring up to 17 different forms.

 

More than $1.6 billion in goods and services as well as 300,000 people cross the Canada-United States border every day - that's over a million dollars a minute. More than 8 million U.S. jobs depend on trade with Canada. - with over 360,000 jobs in the 5 northwest states alone. Canada is the most important foreign export destination for 34 U.S. states, and Canada buys more goods and services from the United States than Germany and China combined. Finally, in 2010 the increase in exports to Canada alone was greater than all US trade with Brazil, double all US trade with India, and triple all US trade with Russia.

 

These numbers point to an excellent opportunity to look to our closest neighbour to increase jobs and enhance our economic recovery. Rep. Mike Schaufler of Oregon, President of PNWER said, "We applaud the leadership of President Obama and Prime Minister Harper and look forward to see many innovative solutions designed, built, and implemented here in the Pacific Northwest."

  

The Pacific NorthWest Economic Region (PNWER) is a public/private non-profit created by statute in 1991 by the states of Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, Montana and Washington, the Canadian provinces of British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and the Yukon and Northwest Territories.

  

For additional information, please contact:

Matt Morrison

Executive Director

Pacific NorthWest Economic Region (PNWER)

Phone: 206-443-7723