border strategy is premised on forms of transport that allow for interventions to take place at the border. Autonomous air and land transportation technologies may not afford the same opportunity. Taking advantage of these technologies while mitigating their inherent risks will require the creation of new physical and policy infrastructure.
Border Policy — The Global Border Bilateral Management of the US Border Canada’s relationship with the United States is unique, given that the two countries share the largest land border in the world and an immense volume of trade. Any Canadian border policy review must have a strong focus on this relationship and the management of the shared border. There have been many joint initiatives between the two countries in the past that have shaped the border management programs in existence today. While priorities routinely differ, these nations experience many of the same threats and are aligned in their efforts to combat them. Canada and the United States have a history of working together through a number of bilateral organizations. Perhaps most obvious are the long-established binational organizations, such as the North American Aerospace Defense Command, which provides aerospace warning and control as well as maritime warning in the defence of North America. Similarly, the International Joint Commission has a role in protecting the shared waters of the Great Lakes. Another form of joint border management used in recent years is to bundle a series of initiatives together under a joint declaration. In the wake of the September 11 attacks, the two governments announced the US and Canada Smart Border Declaration, which provided an action plan for creating a secure and smart border for the flow of people and goods.4 Another example of this form of border management came in 2011 with the
4
Beyond the Border Action Plan: A Shared Vision for Perimeter Security and Economic Competitiveness (Public Safety Canada 2011). These action plans, as well as others before them, resulted in many advancements in border management, such as the Trusted Traveler and Trusted Trader programs, improvements to risk assessment through the receipt of advance passenger and commercial data, and the introduction of pre-clearance. Additionally, numerous initiatives have been undertaken jointly by Canadian government agencies and their US counterparts to deal with specific issues. However, it is evident that most significant joint progress is made when there is a shared commitment at the prime ministerial and presidential levels, with a more formal structure to monitor progress and ensure accountability. The most recent framework for partnership on border concerns came on February 23, 2021, when the prime minister and the president announced the Roadmap for a Renewed U.S.Canada Partnership, which focuses on combatting the COVID-19 pandemic and other key areas of interest (Office of the Prime Minister of Canada 2021). Specific items of relevance to the border include an agreement to take a coordinated approach based on science and public health criteria to considering measures to ease border restrictions in the future; re-establishment of the Cross-Border Crime Forum with a crossborder task force to address gun smuggling and trafficking; and coordination of work in the Arctic in several areas, including on issues related to climate, security and sovereignty. The success of the road map will be dependent on commitments to real action and achieving tangible results. It is also important that outstanding commitments not be ignored. While previous joint work has resulted in very similar border programs, not all initiatives were successful. The level of harmonization is varied. Not only does this make it difficult for businesses trying to navigate the border, but it also impedes progress toward certain security goals. One gap is that initiatives intended to improve security at the common US-Canadian perimeter in order to allow a more open US-Canada border (based on the concept of “cleared once, accepted twice”) have not been fully implemented. An example is the pilot project conducted on marine cargo arriving in Prince Rupert, Canada, and continuing by train across the border to the United States. The measures put
See www.legislationline.org/documents/id/7543.
Borders and the New Geopolitics
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