Home Newsroom 2006 News releases 2006-04-19: Minister Day concludes a successful trip to Washington D.C.

Minister Day concludes a successful trip to Washington D.C.

OTTAWA, April 19 2006 -- The Honourable Stockwell Day, Minister of Public Safety, today concluded a successful trip to Washington where he had a productive meeting with his American counterpart, Secretary of Homeland Security, Michael Chertoff.

“Secretary Chertoff made it clear that the United States remains a welcoming country, particularly to Canadians”, explained Minister Day.

“The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) has been approved by the American Congress and we are now looking at a number of ways in which we can ease the impact of this,” said Minister Day. “Clearly the most expedient way to cross the border for Canadians will be to have a valid passport. However, U.S. law does not foreclose recognizing alternatives that would meet the intent of the law, though these may slow down the process of crossing the border. We received assurances that Canadians and Americans who do not have a passport will still be able to cross the border using alternative documents.”

In the coming months, the U.S. Government will be defining more precisely any additional documents that will be acceptable at the border. “We will be working with the U.S. Government to ensure security and streamlined traffic flows at our borders once the WHTI is implemented,” indicated Minister Day.

During his official visit to Washington, Minister Day also had meetings with the Assistant to the President for Homeland Security, Fran Townsend, the Attorney General, Alberto R. Gonzales and the Director of National Intelligence, Ambassador John D. Negroponte.

“We will work closely on areas of mutual concern, including counter-terrorism and organized crime,” added Minister Day. “We will work to ensure that our borders are open to travelers and merchants and closed to terrorists, drug dealers and smugglers.”

Minister Day has invited Secretary Chertoff to visit Ottawa over the spring to discuss the progress they have made on these issues.

For further information:

Mélisa Leclerc
Office of the Minister
Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada
613-991-2863