Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America
www.spp-psp.gc.ca
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Making Smarter, More Secure Borders
They rumble over the border day and night, loaded with goods making their way between the United States and Canada. The 18,500 commercial transport trucks that cross the border at 130 ports of entry 24 hours a day ― as well as rail, air and marine cargo carriers ― make up a large part of the $2 billion in trade that flows daily between Canada and the United States. Ensuring that these goods travel across the border securely and efficiently is critical.
Now a new initiative, called eManifest, will require all carriers, importers, brokers and freight-forwarders to submit their commercial information electronically before they get to the border. This will keep low-risk goods flowing smoothly and safely into Canada in order to meet consumer demand, while enabling Canada Border Service Agency (CBSA) officers to identify high-risk shipments before they arrive. While protecting Canadians from potential health, safety and security threats, the initiative will help strengthen the world's largest trading relationship.
The federal government recently announced $430-million in funding to eManifest as well as two other border security initiatives under the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America (SPP). At a summit in Cancun in March 2006, Prime Minister Stephen Harper, President George W. Bush of the United States and former President Vicente Fox of Mexico identified "smart and secure borders" as a priority for the three countries under the SPP.
Canada's eManifest builds on the Advance Commercial Information program, which began the process of creating a paperless trade environment by requiring air and marine carriers to electronically submit information about their cargo and other details. The eManifest initiative extends this requirement to goods carried to Canada by all types of transportation.
As the initiative is implemented over the next five years, carriers, freight forwarders and importers will transmit advance data about their commercial shipments to the CBSA. Using leading-edge automated risk assessment technology, the agency will determine whether a shipment is of high or unknown risk. This way, border services officers are able to make more informed decisions about whether to examine shipments or authorize their entry to Canada, streamlining border processing.
The goal of eManifest is to ensure that security and prosperity continue to go hand in hand at our borders. In a world of just-in-time delivery, trucks will benefit from eManifest because it allows for the "pre-arrival" transmission of data and expedited processing. It reduces delays, congestion and idling at the border, by limiting the time most carriers have to spend there.
Partnerships with industry are key to the success of the initiative. The CBSA will consult with experts in the trade community throughout the development and implementation of eManifest. Through this partnership, businesses are working with governments to contribute to the health, safety and prosperity of Canadians.
Further reading:
Canada's New Government invests over $430M for smart, secure borders
Modernizing business at the border
The Canada Border Services Agency
