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Home   Government and Politics Current Canadian Policy Positions
Border | Immigration | Trade | Environment | National Security
BorderThe Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative: the secure flow of people at the Canada–U.S. borderThe Big Picture: The Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 established a requirement for all US citizens and foreign nationals, including Canadians, to present a passport or other document, or combination of documents, sufficient to denote identity and citizenship, for all travel into the United States. Known as the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, the new documentation requirement must be in place by January 1, 2008. read more
PDF format (424K) The Critical Partnership of Canadian and US Law Enforcement AgenciesThe Big Picture: Created in 1997 by Prime Minister Chrétien and President Clinton as a partnership vehicle for Canadian and US law enforcement agencies, the Forum is a model of law enforcement cooperation that is recognized around the world. While pre-dating 9/11, it has become central to our joint efforts to ensure that our border remains open for business but closed to terrorists and criminals. read more Our Shared "Smart Border"The Big Picture: Canada and the U.S. enjoy the largest bilateral trade relationship in the world. We are each other’s biggest customer - $US1.2 billion in goods and services and 300,000 individuals move across theMarch 2005 border daily. In fact, more trade flows between Windsor, Ontario and Detroit, Michigan than through any other border crossing in the world. A secure and efficient “smart border”, open for business but closed to terrorism, is key to our mutual economic security. read more
Immigration PoliciesImmigration and Refugee Protection ActThe Big Picture: The new Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) was introduced less than a year after 9/11. It modernizes Canada’s immigration and refugee programs and also ensures that Canada will not be a safe haven for persons who endanger national security. read more Immigration PoliciesThe Big Picture: Numerous misperceptions exist in the United States regarding Canada’s immigration policies, including the facts and figures relating to immigration and refugee acceptances. read more Misperception vs Reality: Canada's Immigration PoliciesThe Canada-U.S. Smart Border Declaration and Action Plan, signed on December, 12, 2001, encompasses key immigration-related action steps, among them: joint registered traveler programs such as NEXUS, visa policy coordination, sharing advance passenger information, managing refugee/asylum processing and the removal of deportees. Together we have made important progress toward strengthening the secure movement of people between our two countries. read more Comparative Immigration Figures: Canada and the United Statesread more Migration Integrity Officers: Interdicting threats abroad before they reach North America The Big Picture: Since well before 9/11 Canada has deployed officers abroad to stop improperly documented travelers, including those who pose security risks, before they embark on their flights to Canada. The 45 Migration Integrity Officers (MIO) assigned to 39 key locations outside of Canada interdict thousands of inadmissible persons each year, preventing them from entering North America. read more
TradeByrd AmendmentThe Big Picture: Under the Continued Dumping and Subsidy Offset Act of 2000 (CDSOA ), commonly referred to as the “Byrd Amendment”, U.S. antidumping and countervailing duties (AD/CVD) are distributed to companies that supported those trade remedy actions. These duties were previously deposited in the U.S. Treasury. In January 2003, the World Trade Organization (WTO) ruled that the Byrd Amendment was inconsistent with U.S. WTO obligations. In late 2004, in the absence of U.S. action to repeal this measure, the WTO authorized Canada, the European Union, Japan, India, Brazil, South Korea, Chile, and Mexico to retaliate against the United Sates. On May 1, 2005, Canada implemented 15% trade retaliatory duties on imports of live swine, cigarettes, oysters, and certain specialty fish originating in the United States. Also on May 1, 2005, the European Union implemented trade retaliation on imports of various U.S. goods. The U.S. Administration has called for the repeal of the Byrd Amendment, a move supported by a number of U.S. interests. Canada urges the early repeal of the Byrd Amendment. read more
PDF (337K) Live Cattle from CanadaThe Big Picture: "It is with great pleasure that I advise today is the first day since May 2003 that live cattle shipments are crossing the border from Canada into the United States,” said Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Andy Mitchell. “This is the culmination of a tremendous amount of work on the part of Canadian producers, the Canadian livestock industry, provincial and territorial governments, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Government of Canada. I thank them for their strong collaboration and tenacity in resuming trade in live animals and a broader range of meat products with our largest trading partner." read more Country of Origin LabellingThe Big Picture: The lack of a resolution of the long-running wheat trade dispute between Canada and the United States is constraining the ability of U.S. millers from supplying U.S. bakers with the quality and quantity of flour to satisfy U.S. consumers and is having a counterproductive effect on Canada-U.S. relations. Canada is seeking an end to the duties imposed by the Department of Commerce on Canadian hard red spring wheat and an appreciation that Canada's marketing system for wheat, while different from that of the U.S , is fair read more Live SwineThe Big Picture: The Government of Canada today welcomed the final determination of the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) that trade in Canadian live swine is not unfairly subsidized. read more Softwood LumberProfile: Canada supplies approximately 34% of the softwood lumber used in the United States. Softwood is used most often as framing lumber for homes; Canadian softwood — douglas fir, spruce and pine — is particularly suited for this purpose. read more Key Softwood Lumber Litigation Lumber Taxes Hard on Americans WheatThe Big Picture: The lack of a resolution of the long-running wheat trade dispute between Canada and the United States is constraining the ability of U.S. millers from supplying U.S. bakers with the quality and quantity of flour to satisfy U.S. consumers and is having a counterproductive effect on Canada-U.S. relations. Canada is seeking an end to the duties imposed by the Department of Commerce on Canadian hard red spring wheat and an appreciation that Canada's marketing system for wheat, while different from that of the U.S , is fair read more
EnvironmentArctic National Wildlife RefugeThe Big Picture: Canadian and Alaskan native communities north of the Arctic Circle depend on the Porcupine Caribou Herd for their sustenance and cultural needs. The most successful calving grounds for this migratory herd are in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska, but the U.S. Administration and some Members of Congress want to drill there for oil and gas. We have permanently protected from development the lands in Canada used occasionally by the herd for calving and continue to urge that the U.S. do the same. This would be consistent with the commitment to protect and conserve the herd and its habitat in the 1987 Canada-U.S. Agreement on the Conservation of the Porcupine Caribou Herd. read more Great LakesWhat is happening:: Canada is conducting a domestic review of Canadian Great Lakes management, including the St. Lawrence River and the Gulf of St. Lawrence. In the U.S., the Great Lakes states are dissatisfied with the pace and level of funding for clean-up of the lakes, prompting bipartisan bills in Congress that would authorise grant programmes of US$4-$6 billion over the next 5 - 10 years to support coastal and water quality restoration for the Great Lakes and create new institutional arrangements. The Administration is also taking steps to focus and coordinate U.S. Great Lakes programmes at the national and local level. read more Transboundary Movement of WasteThe Big Picture: Hazardous and municipal waste flows both ways across the Canada-US border. In 2006, Canada will implement a Canada-US bilateral agreement that creates an environmentally-sound, science-based system for monitoring waste shipments. The Agreement includes requirements for notification and consent. Canada seeks for the US to fully implement this amendment as well. read more
National SecurityConsolidating Security Resources; Protecting the PublicThe Big Picture: On December 12, 2003, the Prime Minister of Canada created the Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Portfolio, essentially Canada’s equivalent to the Department of Homeland Security, under the direction of the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness. read more Securing an Open SocietyThe Big Picture: Canada is #5 on Al-Qaeda’s list of target nations. Protecting Canada is a top priority and we have made significant investments in our security. Canada’s new National Security Policy focuses on three core national security issues: read more Tough Legislation Fights TerrorismThe Big Picture: Two new laws, the Anti-terrorism Act and the Public Safety Act, were passed in response to 9/11. They give Canadian law enforcement agencies the tools to deter, disable, identify, prosecute and punish terrorists. These measures form the cornerstone of our anti-terrorism efforts at home. read more | 
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