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<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="font-size: 14pt">January 13, 2005 <i>(1 p.m. EST)</i><br>
No. 7</span></span></span></p>
<br>
<p style="text-align: center"><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="font-size: 14pt">CANADA INCREASES BUDGET FOR INTERNATIONAL BOUNDARY
COMMISSION</span></span></span></p>
<br>
<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif">Foreign Affairs Minister Pierre Pettigrew and Natural Resources Minister John Efford
today announced that Canada has accepted the recommendation of an independent
report to increase the annual budget of the Canadian Section of the International
Boundary Commission to $2.4 million from the current $830,000.</span></p>
<br>
<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif">“It is important that Canada maintain a recognizable boundary line that supports the
effective enforcement of customs, immigration, national security and other laws in
Canada,” said Minister Pettigrew. “I am pleased that we will fully implement the
recommendation of the independent report on the future funding needs of the
Commission.”</span></p>
<br>
<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif">“The International Boundary Commission provides an essential service and must be
funded accordingly,” said Minister Efford. “The additional funding will ensure that
Canada will continue to meet its treaty obligations to mark, map and maintain the
complete Canada-U.S. boundary.”</span></p>
<br>
<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif">The International Boundary Commission is a bilateral treaty organization that is jointly
funded by Canada and the U.S. It was created by a 1908 treaty to mark, map and
maintain the land and water boundary between Canada and the U.S., and to regulate
any construction within three metres of the international boundary. The Commission
was established as the permanent caretaker of the boundary area through the Treaty of
Washington in 1925.</span></p>
<br>
<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif">In 2003, the Canadian and U.S. commissioners jointly undertook an independent report
to assess the state of maintenance of the boundary and to make recommendations to
ensure “an effective boundary line” as called for in the treaties. The resulting report,
dated February 2004, called on the Canadian government to increase the annual
budget of the Canadian Section of the International Boundary Commission from the
current $830,000 to $2.4 million for 2005-2006 to 2009-2010. The Canadian
government will fully implement this recommendation.</span></p>
<br>
<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif">For more information on the International Boundary Commission, visit
</span><a href="https://bac-lac.wayback.archive-it.org/web/20070221004431/http://www.internationalboundarycommission.org/"><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="color: #0000ff"><span style="text-decoration: underline">http://www.internationalboundarycommission.org</span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="color: #000000">.</span></span></p>
<br>
<p style="text-align: center"><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="color: #000000">- 30 -</span></span></p>
<br>
<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="color: #000000">For further information, media representatives may contact:</span></span></p>
<br>
<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="color: #000000">Sébastien Théberge<br>
Director of Communications<br>
Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs<br>
(613) 995-1851</span></span></p>
<br>
<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="color: #000000">Media Relations Office<br>
Foreign Affairs Canada and International Trade Canada<br>
(613) 995-1874<br>
</span></span><a href="https://bac-lac.wayback.archive-it.org/web/20070221004431/http://www.international.gc.ca/"><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="color: #0000ff"><span style="text-decoration: underline">http://www.international.gc.ca</span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="color: #000000"></span></span></p>
<br>
<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="color: #000000">Ghyslain Charron<br>
Media Relations<br>
Natural Resources Canada<br>
(613) 992-4447</span></span></p>
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