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<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 14pt"><span style="font-weight: bold">December 17, 2004 <i>(11:50 EST)</i><br>
No. 152</span></span></span></p>
<br>
<p style="text-align: center"><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 14pt"><span style="font-weight: bold">HALIFAX INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT GAINS UNITED STATES
PRECLEARANCE</span></span></span></p>
<br>
<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt">The Government of Canada today announced that the United States has agreed to
extend the Canada-U.S. preclearance program to Halifax International Airport. Minister
of Public Works and Government Services Scott Brison made the announcement at a
ceremony at Halifax International Airport on behalf of Foreign Affairs Minister Pierre
Pettigrew and Transport Minister Jean-C. Lapierre.</span></span></p>
<br>
<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt">“The preclearance program offers a huge level of convenience for travellers from
Atlantic Canada heading to the United States,” said Minister Brison. “Our goods and
services sector will benefit from short wait times, and our tourist industry will benefit
because of increased ease of travel.”</span></span></p>
<br>
<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt">“I am pleased that this will facilitate safe travel and transport of goods from Atlantic
Canada to the United States,” said Minister Pettigrew. “This decision furthers our work
in enhancing cross border security. It will also be a great convenience for hundreds of
thousands of Canadians, Americans and others travelling from the region to the United
States. This is a win for both countries.”</span></span></p>
<br>
<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt">“This announcement exemplifies the continuing and expanding cooperation on air
services between Canada and the United States,” said Minister Lapierre. “It will make
travel easier and more efficient for passengers, and benefit the airlines that serve the
Canada-U.S. market through Halifax.”</span></span></p>
<br>
<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt">The United States has agreed to extend preclearance to Halifax as soon as the airport’s
new preclearance facility is completed. Halifax becomes the eighth Canadian airport to
offer preclearance, in addition to Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Toronto,
Ottawa and Montreal.</span></span></p>
<br>
<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt">The program allows travellers and their goods to be inspected by U.S. preclearance
officers for the purposes of customs, immigration, public health, food inspection, and
plant and animal health before flights depart from Canada for U.S. destinations. This
enables travellers to be treated as domestic passengers on arrival in the U.S., where
they can enjoy shorter and easier connections to other U.S. cities, as well as direct
access to U.S. airports that have no customs and immigration inspection facilities.</span></span></p>
<br>
<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt">Preclearance is part of the joint Canada-U.S. Smart Border Declaration and 32-point
Action Plan. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Safety and Emergency
Preparedness Anne McLellan and U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge are
meeting today in Detroit, Michigan, to release the fifth progress report on
implementation of the Smart Border agenda and to discuss future cooperation. </span></span></p>
<br>
<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt">For more information on the Smart Border Action Plan, please visit
</span></span><a href="https://bac-lac.wayback.archive-it.org/web/20071125131524/http://www.can-am.gc.ca/"><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt"><span style="color: #0000ff"><span style="text-decoration: underline">http://www.can-am.gc.ca</span></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt"><span style="color: #000000">.</span></span></span></p>
<br>
<p style="text-align: center"><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt"><span style="color: #000000">- 30 -</span></span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt"><span style="color: #000000">For further information, media representatives may contact:</span></span></span></p>
<br>
<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt"><span style="color: #000000">Sébastien Théberge<br>
Director of Communications<br>
Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs<br>
(613) 995-1851</span></span></span></p>
<br>
<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt"><span style="color: #000000">Media Relations Office<br>
Foreign Affairs Canada and International Trade Canada<br>
(613) 995-1874<br>
</span></span></span><a href="https://bac-lac.wayback.archive-it.org/web/20071125131524/http://www.international.gc.ca/"><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt"><span style="color: #0000ff"><span style="text-decoration: underline">http://www.international.gc.ca</span></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt"><span style="color: #000000"></span></span></span></p>
<br>
<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt"><span style="color: #000000">Irène Marcheterre<br>
Director of Communications<br>
Office of the Minister of Transport<br>
(613) 991-0700</span></span></span></p>
<br>
<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt"><span style="color: #000000">Renée David<br>
Press Secretary<br>
Office of the Minister of Public Works and Government Services<br>
(819) 997-5421</span></span></span></p>
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