Message from the Minister for International Trade
I would like to take this opportunity to underline the importance for businesspeople of the Government of Canada's 2001 Budget and our continuing efforts to secure the flow of trade with the United States, our largest trading partner.
The Budget tabled on December 10 reaffirms our commitment to sound and balanced fiscal and economic policies and underscores our commitment to enhanced public and economic security. The tragic events of September 11 reminded us that no country is immune to the threat of terrorism. They also united us in a common cause.
Indeed, over the past three months, Canada has stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the United States, acting swiftly to reinforce security at points of entry, sharing intelligence and committing military resources to the U.S.-led coalition to bring those responsible to justice and stop funds suspected of aiding terrorists and the organizations that support them. The Government of Canada also introduced extensive legislation to strengthen its powers to protect the public and investigate, prosecute and prevent terrorism.
Budget 2001 allocates more than $7.7 billion over five years to ensure public and economic security through a range of new initiatives, including:
- enhancing intelligence and policing capacity and coordination among agencies ($1.6 billion);
- screening of visitors, immigrants and refugee claimants, including detention and removals, and new fraud-resistant permanent residency cards ($1 billion);
- enhancing critical infrastructure protection, emergency preparedness and response and expanded anti-terrorism capacity for the military ($1.6 billion);
- a new air security authority, assigning armed, undercover officers on aircraft, the purchasing of explosive detection equipment and enhanced policing ($2.2 billion); and
- enhancing border security and improving the infrastructure that supports major border crossings to ensure the flow of legitimate goods and people ($600 million).
Just as the events of September 11 have united us in a common cause, they have served to remind us that our mutual prosperity is rooted in our shared security and economic interdependence. Our proximity and long-standing cooperation have afforded us unparalleled economic security, whether it be the roughly $2 billion in goods and services that cross our border each day or the fact that Canada is the largest supplier of crude oil and natural gas to the United States.
Prime Minister Jean Chrétien and President George W. Bush have indicated their desire to speed the movement of goods and people across our common border, recognizing that they are essential to jobs and economic growth on both sides of the border. While 87 percent of Canada's merchandise exports go to the U.S., Canada is itself the largest export market for 37 of the 50 U.S. states and Canadians consume more U.S. exports than Japan and Mexico combined.
Most Canadians have been aware that Canada and the United States have been working closely to ensure greater public and economic security in the wake of September 11. The Budget has provided tangible evidence of the Government of Canada's continued commitment to this joint partnership. Further proof of our joint commitment emerged yesterday, when Minister of Foreign Affairs John Manley, Chairman of the Ad Hoc Cabinet Committee on Public Security and Anti-Terrorism, and Governor Tom Ridge, Director of the Office of Homeland Security in the United States, signed a declaration for the creation of a Smart Border for the 21st century between the United States and Canada.
The Smart Border Declaration outlines a 30-point Action Plan, based on four pillars, to collaborate in identifying and addressing security risks while efficiently and effectively expediting the legitimate flow of people and goods back and forth across the Canada-U.S. border.
I encourage you to visit the links below for additional information. They contain extracts and highlights of the enhanced public and economic security measures contained in Budget 2001, a Fact Sheet on Canada's Actions Against Terrorism since September 11, and the Smart Border Declaration.
Anti-terrorism since September 11
Smart Border Announcement
Federal Budget - General and specific information
Sincerely,
Pierre S. Pettigrew
Minister for International Trade
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