 |
|
|
Ministry of Tourism, Sport and the Arts |
|
|
PROVINCIAL SUBMISSION DECRIES U.S. PASSPORT PLAN |
|
VICTORIA – The potential impacts of the proposed Western
Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) are set out in the Province of B.C.’s
submission to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security yesterday. The proposed
initiative would require American and Canadian citizens to show passports or
other forms of secure documentation in order to enter or return to the U.S.
“This initiative puts our third largest industry –
tourism – at risk,” said Tourism, Sport and the Arts Minister Olga Ilich. “I
raised this issue with my federal counterparts several weeks ago, as well as
with legislators in Washington State, and I’ll continue to raise it at every
opportunity.”
If implemented, the proposed regulations will have a
significant impact on the B.C. tourism industry at a time when the North
American tourism sector is recovering from recent setbacks such as the events
of September 11, 2001, SARS and natural disasters. Research suggests the WHTI
would result in a loss of 7.7 million visits to Canada from the U.S., resulting
in an estimated loss of $403 million in B.C. between 2005 and 2008. Currently,
72 per cent of overnight entries into B.C. originate from the U.S.
“We recognize the
importance of border security for both Canada and the United States and want to
make sure that security measures are effective and won’t do more harm than
good,” said John van Dongen, Minister of State for Intergovernmental Relations.
“This submission sends a clear message to the U.S. government that this
passport initiative will have a negative impact on travel, tourism, trade and
education, not just on the Province of B.C and the rest of Canada, but also on
the United States. We want to work together to find solutions that strengthen
our historic partnership.”
A survey conducted on passport possession found that
only 34 per cent of U.S. residents hold passports, and that a large proportion
of cross-border travel involves travellers who do not hold passports. For these
travellers, the cost and inconvenience associated with obtaining a passport is
expected to deter their travel plans.
If implemented, the proposal is expected to come
into effect Dec. 31, 2006 for those traveling by air and sea and Dec. 31, 2007
for those entering by land.
The
Province’s submission to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security is available
online at www.gov.bc.ca/igrs/down/bc_submission.pdf.
-30-
|
contact: |
Communications Director Ministry of Tourism, Sport and the Arts 250 356-9869 |
|
|
|
||
|
Visit the Province's website at www.gov.bc.ca for online information and services. |
||
