SPEAKING NOTES FOR
TRANSPORT MINISTER DAVID COLLENETTE
AT THE
SECOND ANNUAL MARITIME AND
SHIPPING SECURITY CONFERENCE AND EXPO
NEW YORK, NEW YORK
OCTOBER 29, 2003
Thank you for the kind introduction and the opportunity to speak at this
conference. Canada and the United States have a long history of cooperation in
virtually all realms of society and government. Since September 11, 2001,
security has become a paramount issue for both our countries. Like you, we
have made significant changes to enhance security, especially in aviation and
at our border crossings. However, we have much more to do when it comes to
marine security.
Today, I would like to talk about how our two countries work together. How
we in Canada have strengthened marine security, including areas of cooperation
between Canada and the United States. And how we are working internationally
to enhance marine security world-wide.
Canada and the United States share a common border, and when it comes to
security we have cooperated effectively for well over a century. We have
cooperated effectively because we share many values and we have always
respected each other's way of doing things. Together we have disproved the
much-expressed idea that good fences make good neighbours.
On September 11 Canada was there to assist with the landing of 226
wide-bodied aircraft and 33,000 people, the majority being Americans. Canada
shared your pain.
Terrorism undermines the very essence of our shared experience and the
terrorist actions on September 11th were an attack on our common
commitment to democracy, the rule of law, and a free and open economy.
Together our response has been resolute and will not be compromised.
While we share values, we occasionally approach issues in a different
manner. Our sometimes varying approaches reflect our own histories and
political structures. One difference in our countries is in the way our
federations are structured. Unlike the American political system, ours is very
decentralized. Nevertheless, it works because it is predicated on a spirit of
cooperation and compromise, concepts which underlie the Canadian way of doing
things and which we carry over into our international relations.
Our accomplishments in marine security have been enhanced because of
cooperation between our two countries. As in your country, a safe and secure
transportation system has been a long-standing central objective of our
national transportation policy. When it comes to marine security, Canada and
the United States have a history of working together, and we continue to do so
- now more than ever.
We work together because we share waterways and coastlines - the Pacific to
the West, the Atlantic to the East, the Arctic to the North, and the St. Lawrence Seaway leading to the Great Lakes in the centre of our two countries.
Our combined coastlines are huge - over five times the circumference of the
earth. We can only succeed in making them secure by working together.
September 11, 2001 resulted in a changed world and marine security became
more than a question of illegal migrants and drug smugglers. It became a
question of reducing risks along our coasts and in our ports. We have
responded and are working with you to meet these new security challenges.
In the aftermath of the terrorist attacks, Canada took immediate steps to
reduce vulnerabilities at our seaports. In October 2001, at my request, the
Canadian Coast Guard issued a "notice to shipping" requiring trans-oceanic
traffic to give 96 hours notice in advance of entering Canadian waters, rather
than the usual 24 hours.
That same month, in consultation with U.S. marine authorities, Transport
Canada and the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation set up procedures to
enhance the security of the St. Lawrence Seaway. New security requirements
were introduced that included restricting access to facilities, pre-screening
of ships before they arrive in the Great Lakes- St. Lawrence system, and
onboard inspections of ships before they proceed to port.
The Smart Border Declaration, signed in December 2001, has provided a focal
point for security and transportation issues post-September 11. This
declaration has allowed us to develop a zone of confidence in North America.
The declaration's action plan is based on four goals that give our
respective countries greater confidence in each other's borders.
- The first is the secure flow of people.
- The second is the secure flow of goods. For these first two goals
it means identifying who and what are threats, so that low risk
individuals and goods can cross our borders with greater efficiency.
- The third goal is securing our infrastructure by relieving
congestion at major border crossings, and identifying areas that may
be threatening.
- Finally, coordinating objectives and better information sharing has
allowed us to start the process of making our borders more safe and
secure.
Canada and the U.S. recently delivered their fourth progress report on the
30-point action plan. This report outlines the significant accomplishments in
modernizing the Canada-United States border since the declaration was signed
on December 12, 2001.
My department is coordinating a process to assess potential threats and
vulnerabilities to Canada's marine security. In January of this year, I
announced a five-year package of initiatives of up to $172.5 million
(Canadian) designed to further enhance the security of Canada's marine
transportation system and marine borders.
These initiatives focus on safeguarding and protecting our marine
infrastructure, surveillance of Canadian waterways and improving our emergency
response capabilities.
Specific marine security initiatives we are now focusing on include:
- enhancing collaboration and coordination among government
departments and agencies;
- developing and implementing new security requirements in line
with recent recommendations of the International Maritime
Organization;
- making further improvements to port security by establishing
restricted areas and requiring people working within these areas
to undergo thorough background checks;
- increasing surveillance and tracking of marine traffic,
including "near real-time" identification and tracking of
vessels in Canadian waters;
- screening of passengers and crew on board vessels;
- installing new detection equipment in ports to screen
containers for radiation; and
- new funding for the enhancement of the Royal Canadian Mounted
Police Emergency Response Teams and the establishment of
permanent investigator positions at major ports.
I would like to highlight the first of these initiatives - enhancing
collaboration and coordination among government departments and agencies -
because it links back to my earlier point about how each of our countries is
a different type of federation.
In the United States, domestic security has been telescoped into one
government department - Homeland Security. In Canada, we have a
multi-department and agency approach, where Transport Canada takes the lead
on transportation security. Our approach involves coordination across a
number of departments and agencies.
For this reason, the Prime Minister ordered the formation of a
cabinet-level Ad hoc committee on public security and anti-terrorism.
This committee brings together eight key Ministers with security
responsibilities, including myself. Rather than merging our bureaucratic
structures, it ensures that key players are brought together on issues in a
timely manner. It coordinates our security initiatives and works closely
with the Department of Homeland Security under Secretary Tom Ridge.
This committee oversaw the development of a broad range of legislative
initiatives to increase security and public safety, in particular, the Anti-Terrorism
Act. This legislation addresses the challenge of dealing with Canada's
capacity to suppress, investigate and incapacitate terrorist activity.
A Marine Security Working Group, chaired by Transport Canada, has been
established for the purpose of harmonizing our security objectives. Its
focus is on enhancing departmental coordination in order to improve our
responsiveness to changes in the national and international marine security
environment. This approach reflects our way of doing things - it is
predicated on a spirit of cooperation, and at the same time is intended to
reduce marine vulnerability. It effectively accomplishes for us what the
Department of Homeland Security does for you.
However, I believe further governance changes are required to heighten
the focus on marine security in a comprehensive way. Our Coast Guard should
be better funded and tasked with marine security enforcement. It should
perform the same kind of role that the U.S. Coast Guard has played within
the D.O.T., and now the Department of Homeland Security. This could mean
that the Canadian Coast Guard could be relocated to another federal
department or agency.
In the meantime, Transport Canada works within the Government of Canada
and with our friends in the United States. Last week I announced new
requirements for a wide range of Canadian flagged vessels and port
facilities.
With that announcement, operators of certain classes of vessels operating
on international voyages or on the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway system
will be required to identify themselves to Transport Canada for marine
security purposes. Port facilities that serve SOLAS-class vessels must also
meet this requirement.
Once vessel operators have reported, they will then be requested to
conduct a security assessment and develop a security plan for submission to
Transport Canada. When the vessel security plan has been approved, the
department will issue the operator a security certificate that will allow
entry into U.S. and Canadian port facilities.
A similar process applies to U.S. vessels under U.S. regulations.
We have moved ahead with this action in response to input from
stakeholders on the importance of a comprehensive security regime, our own
assessment of the risks and threats in the marine sector, and our
consultations with U.S. authorities. Moreover, Transport Canada and the U.S.
Coast Guard are working closely together to coordinate and harmonize the
marine security regimes of the two countries, so that Canadian-flagged and
U.S.-flagged ships that meet flag state security standards can access port
facilities in the other country to the satisfaction of our respective
security authorities.
At this point, I would like to touch briefly on Canadian plans for
developing and implementing new security requirements to meet the
International Maritime Organization's International Ship and Port Facility
Security Code - the ISPS. As you know, this code, which comes into effect on
July 1, 2004, is a new, comprehensive security regime that seeks to
establish an international framework of cooperation between governments,
government agencies and the shipping and port industries.
The impact of the ISPS code on both our marine sectors will be
significant. From our standpoint, the enhancements to the security of the
Canadian transportation system, and to national security, will be of
enormous benefit.
We also have established a Marine Facilities Restricted Area Access
Clearance Program. In accordance with the ISPS code, restricted areas will
be established. However, Canada has gone a step further and mandated that
only individuals who have undergone thorough background checks, or are
accompanied by an escort, will be allowed entry into these restricted areas
at designated ports. This extra requirement will further reinforce the
security of persons at ports. It will also prevent unlawful acts of
interference with marine transportation. There are those who argue that this
type of program should have been put in place years ago. Perhaps they are
right, but we can't look back. We must look forward to deal with
weaknesses in the security regime when and where they are identified.
These initiatives demonstrate Canada's commitment to marine security.
Equally important is the cooperation between our two countries.
For example, we have entered into an agreement that has American and
Canadian customs' officers positioned in major ports of our respective
countries to assist in the screening of in-transit containers. This exchange
allows for cooperation in identifying and screening risky cargo before it
arrives in either country.
We are also using mobile Vehicle and Cargo Inspection Systems, which are
consistent with American standards to scan intermodal containers. These
gamma ray based scanning devices are currently being disseminated throughout
Canadian ports. Goods can be matched to their cargo manifests, data can be
saved, transmitted and shared, and once scanned the containers are sealed
and tracked to their final destination. And the fact is that we screen twice
as many containers as the United States and three times as many as the Port
of Rotterdam, the world's largest port.
The Canadian government will also be testing radiation detection systems
to increase container security. These systems will alert authorities if any
radiation is detected in the cargo containers. If radiation is detected, the
container will undergo further testing.
Last week I attended a symposium on transportation security at the Centre
for International Security and Cooperation of Stanford University hosted by
my old friend and colleague, former Defence Secretary William Perry. I was
excited to hear of further innovation in sea container security by using
microchips which can be inserted into containers at the point of
embarkation. These chips will be able to detect explosives, hazardous
chemicals and other high-risk contents. We need to work together on these
types of initiatives.
Our current and future objectives are clear. In both countries,
transportation policy cannot remain static. We both need to enhance and
improve our capabilities to keep transportation safe and secure. We share
vulnerabilities and must deal with them collectively in order to secure our
beliefs and way of life. This is important for human health and well-being
as well as for trade. I can assure you that security considerations for
Canada will continue to be paramount in future policy development. Yet our
work is not nor can it be solely with each other.
Security is a global issue and global cooperation involving both Canada
and the United States is imperative.
Transport Canada is working closely with international organizations,
notably the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation group, the International
Labour Organization, the Organization of American States, the World Customs
Union and the International Maritime Organization, to assist our trading
partners without the same capacity to comply with the requirements of the
ISPS Code by the July 1, 2004 deadline.
Canada believes that forging links with international organizations help
us anticipate change and respond to it. They also help us influence the
direction of international policy. Canada is among the world leaders in
safety management. We have a long tradition of researching and identifying
safety problems and developing solutions and now we are developing a similar
leadership role in finding solutions to security issues. Canadians will
continue to work at the international and continental levels to help make
the world less vulnerable to terrorist threats.
At a domestic level, there are a number of organizations that are
relevant to marine security including government, industry and labour. We
continue to work within our own system to reduce vulnerabilities.
In this changed North American security environment, maritime issues have
been brought to the fore. Both Canada and the United States have committed
to the active pursuit of harmonization, but in a manner that is consistent
with each country's distinct governance system. Canada is steadfast in its
commitment to security, and as we work in concert with our American friends
and allies, we continue to be bound by our common goal - to keep our ports
and people safe and secure.
Thank you.
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