• Main Menu

• Foreign Policy
• International Trade
• Travel Assistance
• Countries and Regions
• Culture, Education and Youth
• Ministers and Parliamentary Secretaries
  • Foreign Affairs
  • International Trade

Message from the Minister for International Trade

In my October 12 message, I related that the Government of Canada is acting swiftly to deal with the new security environment, including taking action to ensure that the border remains open to trade. The Government of Canada announced new measures this week that go further toward addressing the security needs of Canadians and assuring our American neighbours that Canada is a full partner in enhancing security and safety within North America.

Sincerely,
Pierre S. Pettigrew

Government of Canada Introduces Anti-terrorism Act

The Government of Canada has taken steps to combat terrorism and terrorist activities at home and abroad. The new Anti-Terrorism Act has four objectives:

• to stop terrorists from getting into Canada and protect Canadians from terrorist acts;
• to protect and arm ourselves with the tools to identify, prosecute, convict and punish terrorists;
• to prevent the Canada-U.S. border from being held hostage by terrorists, resulting in a negative impact on the Canadian economy; and
• to work with the international community to bring terrorists to justice and address the root causes of their hatred.

Concrete Measures to Combat Terrorism

The Government of Canada has also taken concrete measures to enhance Canada's ability to combat terrorism. These include:

• re-examining and improving our information sharing, co-ordination and law enforcement activities;
• actively participating in international efforts to combat terrorism, and co-ordinating an initiative to develop options to strengthen the capacity to respond to chemical and biological terrorism;
• investing in key departments and agencies, to ensure that they have the tools they need to do their job effectively;
• introducing the new Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. This will strengthen our ability to keep Canadians safe from undesirable individuals while ensuring that people in need of Canada's help are permitted to enter;
• creating the Office of Critical Infrastructure Protection and Emergency Preparedness to develop and implement a comprehensive approach to protecting Canada's critical infrastructure, in both its physical and cybernetic dimensions;
• ensuring that the RCMP continues to work in close co-operation with Transport Canada, CSIS, Citizenship and Immigration Canada, the Canada Customs and Revenue Agency and local airport authorities to ensure the security and safety of all Canadians;
• directing the RCMP to work with its American counterparts to provide whatever technical, logistical and other support is necessary to assist them in their investigation;
• ensuring that Canada Customs officers are maintaining a high state of vigilance by increasing the questioning of people and the examination of goods entering the country; and
• improving the sharing of information between Canada and the United States on suspected and known terrorists, for use in the screening of visas and inspections at points of entry.

Detailed information on these new measures can be found on the Canada Site:
http://canada.gc.ca/wire/2001/09/110901-US_e.html