What is the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America?
Is the SPP an international agreement similar to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)?
How does the SPP work?
What do Canada and its partners achieve through the SPP?
How does the SPP affect Canadians?
How does the partnership affect the terms of NAFTA and other agreements that define Canada’s relationship with the United States and Mexico?
Does the SPP diminish Canada’s sovereignty, laws, rights or culture?
What are some of the SPP’s results to date?
What consultations have guided the establishment and day-to-day activities of the SPP?
What is the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America?
The Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America (SPP) was launched in March 2005 to increase security, enhance prosperity and improve the quality of life of North Americans through greater cooperation between Canada, the United States and Mexico. Security and prosperity go hand in hand. The SPP represents a commitment among the three countries to work together to build a safer and more economically dynamic North America.
Is the SPP an international agreement similar to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)?
The SPP is not an agreement or treaty but a means of ensuring greater cooperation among Canada, the United States and Mexico on a range of issues. It is a dialogue that supports and guides efforts to find common approaches among neighbouring countries. The SPP provides a vehicle by which the three countries can resolve unnecessary barriers to trade and a means to improve our response to emergencies and increase security.
How does the SPP work?
At annual meetings, the leaders of the three countries discuss issues to be addressed in the following year under the SPP. These priorities can change, as they respond to the needs and challenges of each country and those identified in the annual SPP progress reports. In Canada, the Minister of Foreign Affairs is responsible for managing the overall North American relationship, of which the SPP is one component. Two Coordinators aim to achieve these SPP priorities through Working Groups under the Minister of Public Safety, the lead minister for the Security Agenda, and the Minister of Industry, the lead minister for the Prosperity Agenda. The Working Groups consult stakeholders on a regular basis and advance trilateral and bilateral issues and guide the efforts of federal departments and agencies.
What do Canada and its partners achieve through the SPP?
Initiatives launched under the SPP include a series of cooperative, practical and concrete measures aimed at a wide range of goals, including:
- Maintaining industry competitiveness by increasing access to markets within North America, facilitating transactions and the movement of goods and people across borders and expanding the use of E-commerce.
- Creating a sustainable energy economy by strengthening energy efficiency standards, promoting regulatory cooperation, and encouraging research and innovation in emerging energy technologies.
- Protecting the environment through regulatory cooperation, standards and programs.
- Enhancing the capacity to protect the health of citizens against intentional and naturally occurring threats to public health, for example by advancing cooperation for pandemic planning.
- Securing North America through integrated or common approaches aimed at facilitating the movement of legitimate trade and travel using road, rail, marine or air transportation systems through secure border entry points, reducing crime and the entry of contraband products, illegal immigrants, criminals and terrorists.
- Reducing risks related to major emergencies by collaborating on emergency management issues ranging from emergency planning to joint disaster simulations.
How does the SPP affect Canadians?
Canadians benefit from the partnership through increased security, consumer protection and job creation as well as through measures that ensure the highest standards of health and safety. For example, the SPP makes businesses more competitive , thus providing Canadians with more affordable, diversified and innovative products. The SPP has contributed to the development and implementation of strategies to establish equivalent approaches to aviation security and to enhance North American marine transportation and port security. The SPP has also prompted the countries to reach agreement on advance notification when products pose a danger, which could prevent injuries or even save lives. The partnership builds on efforts to protect the environment, combat infectious diseases and ensure a safe food supply.
How does the partnership affect the terms of NAFTA and other agreements that define Canada’s relationship with the United States and Mexico?
The SPP builds on and complements the longstanding relations among Canada, the United States and Mexico. It enhances the existing cooperation set out in trilateral agreements and the ties that have shaped the North American partnership for many years. The countries will also continue to interact bilaterally when appropriate.
Does the SPP diminish Canada’s sovereignty, laws, rights or culture?
The SPP outlines an agenda for cooperation among the three countries, while respecting each country’s sovereignty, culture and laws. Although the initiatives are grounded in the common interests of all North Americans, they preserve the values of the three partners. There are no plans for the creation of a North America-wide union. Rather, the SPP represents an opportunity for the governments of Canada, the United States and Mexico to discuss common goals and identify ways for each nation to achieve greater security, enhance prosperity and improve the quality of life of North Americans.
What are some of the SPP’s results to date?
Since 2005, the partnership has been responsible for progress in a number of areas, many of which are outlined among the SPP Accomplishments. These include:
- Initiatives that encourage the reform of trade rules to reduce transaction costs, making it easier to ship goods across the border and enable exporters to qualify for duty-free treatment.
- Collaborative planning and prevention strategies for disaster situations to limit the impact of disasters and allow for a more coordinated international response and a faster recovery.
- International cooperation in intelligence, law enforcement, transportation security and border management to help reduce criminal activity and terror risks.
- Reduction of transit times by 50 per cent at the Detroit-Windsor gateway, the largest border crossing point between Canada and the U.S.
What consultations have guided the establishment and day-to-day activities of the SPP?
In Canada, consultations occur at many levels. Work is undertaken in collaboration with Canadian provincial and territorial governments and a wide range of interested parties, including industry, associations and special interest groups. Predominantly, this occurs through federal departments and agencies responsible for SPP-related initiatives, as part of ongoing processes. As well, pilot projects have been used to examine and refine initiatives based on feedback received from stakeholders.
