19 October 2004

U.S., Canada to team on Hong Kong box checks

The following article is excerpted from the 19 October 2004 edition of “The Journal of Commerce”.

Canada expects to complete an agreement with Hong Kong in November that will permit its customs agents to join U.S. inspectors in screening containers destined for North America at the world's largest box hub ….

…. Deputy Prime Minister Anne McLellan said the agreement, which goes into effect in April, comes as part of Washington's Container Security Initiative anti-terror program to weed out suspicious containers before they get to U.S. ports.

"Clearly," she said, "as resources permit we would like to be in more ports."

The announcement follows two days of talks [in Ottawa] last week between McLellan, who also serves as minister for Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, and U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge on cooperative security efforts by the neighboring countries.

The talks covered plans to extend anti-terror measures on the shared border, including pre-screening of U.S.-bound commercial cargo and stationing of U.S. agents at key border crossings, which McLellan termed "very likely." Details of the plans will first be discussed with stakeholders, she added.

McLellan acknowledged that there are thorny issues yet to be worked out before U.S. Customs agents are stationed in Canada. "[U.S. Customs and Border Protection] Commissioner [Robert] Bonner is very interested in ensuring that his officers have what he calls 'full powers,'" McLellan said. "A great deal of discussion has to take place as to whether that is achievable, [or whether] there is something less than full powers acceptable to both sides."

McLellan said there was "much to do to come to a pre-clearance model," and that "some models could involve things like a land swap between the two countries." She did not elaborate.