Subject: CAUS -- Joint Border Crossings?  Not so fast!<br/>
Date: May 28, 2003 @ 21:24<br/>
Author: Doug Murray (Doug Murray &lt;doug@...&gt;)<br/>
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<div id="ygrps-yiv-1793453509">It sounds easy... and then all these laws get in the way!  Darn it!<br/>
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Wednesday » May 28 » 2003<br/>
Smart border plan at risk over legalities<br/>
 <br/>
Bill Curry<br/>
National Post<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
Wednesday, May 28, 2003<br/>
<br/>
OTTAWA - Canada and the United States can&#39;t agree on which country&#39;s <br/>
laws would apply at joint border crossings, putting the initiative at <br/>
risk, the Auditor-General&#39;s office said yesterday.<br/>
<br/>
Auditors told the National Post the idea of joint facilities may have <br/>
&#39;&#39;sounded good at first,&#39;&#39; but both countries appear to be questioning <br/>
whether the concept should be abandoned as unworkable. It is unclear, <br/>
for instance, whether Canadian officials could invoke Canada&#39;s gun laws <br/>
if a facility was screening U.S. citizens on American soil. And U.S. <br/>
citizens might be able to invoke U.S. marijuana laws if they were <br/>
working at a joint facility on Canadian soil.<br/>
<br/>
Canada Customs &#39;&#39;has discovered some legal issues related to <br/>
establishing joint border facilities with the United States and is <br/>
studying them,&#39;&#39; Sheila Fraser, the Auditor-General, said in a report <br/>
yesterday.<br/>
<br/>
Such facilities would reduce delays by moving some security screening <br/>
away from the border. They are also being contemplated as the main <br/>
method for implementing the controversial plan to track all visitors to <br/>
the United States. The 30-point Canada-U.S. Smart Border agreement <br/>
calls for clearance away from the border to fast-track low-risk traffic <br/>
at the main booth. Pre-screening measures have allowed applicants to <br/>
sign up for a voluntary security check in exchange for a card granting <br/>
them a hassle-free crossing.<br/>
<br/>
Val Meredith, a Canadian Alliance MP, said the two countries should <br/>
work out any problems because a safe border is in the interests of both <br/>
countries.<br/>
<br/>
Ms. Fraser&#39;s report raises concerns about existing programs which allow <br/>
frequent travellers to be pre-approved through a security check. The <br/>
report said the initial security checks of importers, truck drivers and <br/>
other frequent users of the border are adequate, but Canada does little <br/>
to check if pre-approved travellers continue to obey the law after they <br/>
have entered the program. Ms. Fraser warns Canada should &#39;&#39;proceed <br/>
cautiously&#39;&#39; with such programs.<br/>
<br/>
The aim of the new measures is to allow officials from both countries <br/>
to focus their screening efforts on &#39;&#39;high-risk&#39;&#39; traffic, but the <br/>
report found Canada Customs does little to analyze the results of its <br/>
searches to determine who should be considered &#39;&#39;high-risk.&#39;&#39; She said <br/>
Customs is doing a poor job of accounting for how it spends the <br/>
$433-million it got to improve security, but gave the department a <br/>
passing grade in implementing previous recommendations.<br/>
<br/>
<a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="mailto:bcurry@...">bcurry@...</a><br/>
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