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Secretary of Homeland Security Janet
Napolitano and Canada's Minister of Citizenship,
Immigration and Multiculturalism, Jason Kenney,
announced yesterday joint consultations with
stakeholders on cross-border business -
increasing efforts to facilitate business travel
between the United States and Canada.
As outlined in the United States-Canada
Beyond the Border Action Plan, announced by
President Barack Obama and Prime Minister
Stephen Harper in December 2011, the goal of the
joint consultations is to 1) receive comments on
the implementation of commitments included in
the Action Plan and 2) identify and assess new
ways to facilitate cross-border business travel
in the short and medium terms.
"DHS is committed to working with our
Canadian partners to facilitate cross-border
business, strengthening the economies of both
our countries," said Secretary Napolitano.
"Through these joint consultations, we will
receive direct feedback from businesses on how
we can improve travel and trade at the border."
"This Government's top priority remains jobs,
growth and long-term prosperity," said Canada's
Minister of Public Safety Vic Toews. "These
consultations will help improve cross-border
trade and bring greater economic benefits to
both Canada and the United States."
"Billions of dollars worth of goods and
hundreds of thousands of people cross our shared
border every day. We want to hear directly from
businesses on both sides of the border about how
cross-border business travel could improve. We
especially want to hear fresh ideas," said
Minister Kenney.
Secretary Napolitano today attended the first
joint consultation between representatives from
several major companies and industry
associations in Washington. Minister Kenney will
attend the joint consultation in Toronto on May
24. Consultations will be facilitated by the
Migration Policy Institute - a non-profit,
non-partisan think tank based in Washington,
D.C. Stakeholder comments regarding Canadian and
U.S. government commitments made in the Action
Plan, as well as recommendations for additional
improvements, will be accepted online starting
today, until June 15, 2012.
A report on the outcomes of this process will
be distributed to stakeholders and will be
available on the DHS and Citizenship and
Immigration Canada websites once consultations
have been completed.
For more information, visit http://www.dhs.gov/beyond-the-border.
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