Home The Ambassador Canada's chief representatives to the U.S. Michael Kergin Ambassador Kergin's Speeches November 22, 2002

Remarks by Michael Kergin, Ambassador of Canada to the United States to the Tower Club

November 22, 2002
Vienna, Virginia

Thank you Stan for your kind introduction. It is marvellous to find old friends in new circumstances — at least for me.

I would also like to thank the Tower Club for inviting me to speak as part of your ambassadors' series. It is a pleasure to be here today and, I commend you on your early start on the day.

As that wise Scotsman once said: if you can't get half your day's work done by ten in the morning, you risk not getting the other half done!

When I was back in Ottawa earlier this week, I was reminded again of the similarities between Canada's national capital region and the greater Washington region.

Both are the federal capitals of the two greatest trading partners in the world; an immodest statement, perhaps, but no two other countries do $1.3 billion dollars worth of business with each other, every single day of the year.

(I was also reminded of one difference that makes me glad to be back in Washington: no snow!)

And, in both capital areas, the high-tech sector is challenging government as the largest employer of an educated and sophisticated workforce.

Canadians and Americans are increasingly turning to the high tech sector for responses to the challenges of a new era — an era characterized by important problems which transcend national boundaries yet which daily confront our governments: increased movements of people much legitimate, others forced through misfortune, some frankly nefarious.

There is the growth of organized crime using the very technologies which were created to improve the quality of life. And, then, unfortunately, there is also terrorism.

And it was this scourge of terrorism, which, on 9/11, turned our placid normalcy on its head.

Canadians and Americans responded to the September 11th attacks in just the manner that our common history and close partnership would ordain: quickly, collaboratively and resolutely.

We saw this as the smoke was still rising from the twin towers and Pentagon when 224 international flights bound for the U.S. were diverted to Canada, and Canadian communities took in over 33,000 stranded American travellers.

We saw this when Canadian forces fought shoulder-to shoulder with U.S. troops against the Taliban and Al Qaeda in Afghanistan. Canada's military contribution was fourth in size — our forces were inter-operable with the U.S. and directly integrated into the 101st airborne.

Itself a tribute to their advanced technologies.

Canada's armoured reconnaissance vehicles, called coyotes, also distinguished themselves in Afghanistan's harsh terrain. Not only can the coyote travel at 100 km/hour and scale hills with a 60-degree slope, it is equipped with sophisticated surveillance and detection systems that use state-of-the-art optics, thermal imagery, visual intensifiers, surveillance radar and laser range-finders.

These light armoured vehicles can also communicate securely with each other — no small advantage when the enemy needs to know every tactical move and intention of the reconnaissance group; and no small feat by the Canadian information technology industries which developed the voice-scrambling software.

On the domestic front, Canada froze terrorist assets and introduced legislation to obstruct their fund-raising. We passed a new immigration act to ensure enhanced compliance and security. Landmark legislation has given Canada's law enforcement agencies additional tools with which to shut down terrorist organizations.

And only three months after September 11th, the Canadian parliament approved a budget increase of U.S.$5 billion dedicated to improving security at Canada's borders.

The tragedy of 9/11 also brought huge challenges to our bilateral economic relations. It had an immediate impact on the 49th parallel.

More intrusive customs inspections resulted in long line-ups, some stretching for 20 miles. This threatened to cripple legitimate business. In my personal view, this did not substantially improve security, as far as protecting our societies against terrorists.

So Canadian and American authorities had to work intelligently to find new ways to protect our common border. And much of the solution lay in the adoption of cutting-edge information technologies which, while helping to improve efficiencies, also enhanced our security.

For instance, the integrated border enforcement teams called IBETs, which patrol remote border points to interdict illegal and criminal cross-border activities, have the ability to transmit encrypted, two-way radio communications between four or more different enforcement agencies, each working with a different radio system and frequency.

The IBETs will also rely on night-vision and thermal-imaging equipment for intelligence-gathering and enforcement activities, and share information from radar locations and aircraft transponders travelling on both sides of the border.

Similarly, free and secure trade (or FAST) lanes at border crossing points, allow regular shippers to pre-clear customs electronically and verify their clearance status rapidly using transponder, or bar code, technology; and nexus allows low risk, frequent border users who have been pre-screened by both countries' security services to cross the border more rapidly by displaying a biometric smart card.

The private sector too is increasingly seeking high-tech answers to their security questions. In Canada and the U.S., importers, exporters — and their carriers — are exploring technologies such as electronic container seals, GPS, and other tracking tools to ensure the integrity of their shipments as they travel from loading docks to ports of entry and beyond.

This smart border initiative is continuing to expand. When Deputy Prime Minister John Manley and Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge meet in the next few weeks, they will examine new areas for joint security cooperation, like container shipping, rail transportation, biosecurity, and food safety — all with their attendant applied information technologies.

And as security standards increase, we expect to see more success stories like that of Ontario-based Research in Motion (RIM), which created the Blackberry you might be carrying in your jacket pocket.

(It just happens, I have one here. No, it is not for sale!)

It is no surprise to me that the Department of Defence is planning to use Blackberry technology for secure communications. Word has it that the Blackberry was put to the test on September 11th last year. After the Pentagon was attacked, phones and computers were out, and cell phone networks were jammed.

Apparently, senior officers were using Blackberrys on a trial basis at the time, and that they were the only communications device in the Pentagon that was functioning during the hectic hours that followed.

After the attacks, all members of Congress were issued Blackberrys, and it has even been reported that Special Forces in Afghanistan, in the early days of the campaign, called in air strikes on their Blackberrys.

A Montreal-based company, Forensic Technology, may also find a leap in demand for its