A growing number of officials on both sides of the Canada-U.S. border are joining forces in calling for a delay in the implementation of U.S. legislation that would require anyone entering the United States from Canada to carry a valid passport.
Under the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI), beginning on January 1, 2008, anyone entering the United States from Canada or Mexico will need a valid passport or other form of approved identification.
The legislation has been defended by the Bush administration as a security measure which will actually facilitate the flow of legitimate traffic over the world's longest undefended border. But with estimates showing the legislation will cost both countries hundreds of millions lost trade and travel annually, Canadian provinces and U.S. border states are worried about the impact the legislation will have on their tourism industries, and officials in both countries are scrambling to meet heightened demand for passports ahead of the deadline.
Only about 40 percent of Canadians own valid passports, compared with less than 25 percent of Americans.
Furthermore, critics say there won't be enough time to implement the program properly, as the Department of Homeland Security still hasn't settled on a technology or decided what form of ID—passports or biometric PASS cards--will be required.
Concerns in the United States over the impact of the legislation led Senate to pass an amendment to delay its implementation by 17 months, until June 1st, 2009. Congress has yet to approve the delay.
On May 13th, five eastern Canadian provinces and six New England states released a statement urging Congress to delay the passport requirement. Last week at a meeting of Western Canadian provincial premiers, delegates made similar calls for a delay.
Speaking at that meeting in Gimli, Manitoba last week, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said the passport requirements could have "a severely negative impact on both trade and tourism," and expressed confidence that the U.S. would delay the law. The premiers also asked Harper to raise the issue when he meets with U.S. President George Bush in Washington on July 6.
According to Randy Williams, President and CEO of the Tourism Industry Association of Canada (TIAC), misunderstanding around the WHTI has already impacted tourism in both countries, and a delay may only serve to slow things down even more. He says Americans have been applying for passports in record numbers since the program was announced in 2004, and he worries a delay will also interfere with that.
"A delay with the continued confusion that exists today would really exacerbate a poor situation," says Williams. "Right now we're losing business in Canada even before the law comes into place, and this whole talk of delay actually contributes to more confusion."
Expecting a surge in passport applications because of the proposed law, the Canadian government said in April that it's considering the possibility of extending passports to last for 10 years instead of five in order to make the documents more accessible. Canadian passport costs $87 every five years, while U.S. passports—which have a lifespan of 10 years—cost $97, and only $67 for a renewal.
Currently, cross-border travel and trade is worth about US$2-billion a day. A study by the Conference Board of Canada estimates the proposed law will have the effect of preventing about 3.5 million trips into Canada, costing the Canadian economy some $1.6-billion, with the American economy losing another $750-million.
Canadians comprise 30 percent of travellers to the United States, while about 15 million Americans travel to Canada each year.
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