Smart Border Declaration

SMART BORDER DECLARATION

The Smart Border Declaration was a rapidly arranged binational deal signed on December 12th of 2001 between the Government of the USA and its junior partner - the Government of Canada. The general aim of the deal was to improve the security of the USA. The general consequence of the deal - whether planned or unplanned - was to endanger and threaten the sovereignty of Canada. And most controversially, some Nationalists see this deal as an incremental move towards a North American Union.

After September 11, 2001, the USA moved into an unhealthy condition which Naomi Klein has described in her book named The Shock Doctrine. One of the results of this illness in the USA was the quickly - by government standards - arranged December of 2001 signing of the Smart Border Declaration.

The Smart Border Declaration included a four part Action Plan (Quoted from Canada's Department of Foreign Affairs Website):

"Action Plan

The attached Action Plan for Creating a Secure and Smart Border includes the measures already identified by our colleagues as well as new initiatives. Four pillars support the action plan:

(1) The Secure Flow of People

We will implement systems to collaborate in identifying security risks while expediting the flow of low risk travellers.

We will identify security threats before they arrive in North America through collaborative approaches to reviewing crew and passenger manifests, managing refugees, and visa policy coordination.

We will establish a secure system to allow low risk frequent travellers between our countries to move efficiently across the border.

(2) The Secure Flow of Goods

We will implement a system to collaborate in identifying high risk goods while expediting the flow of low risk goods.

We will identify security threats arriving from abroad by developing common standards for screening cargo before it arrives in North America, while working to clear goods at the first port of entry.

We will adopt compatible security standards at production and distribution facilities to minimize security threats. We will expedite the flow of low risk traffic between our countries by establishing compatible commercial processes at the border.

We will expedite the flow of low risk goods between our countries by establishing secure procedures to clear goods away from the border, including at rail yards and at marine ports.

(3) Secure Infrastructure

We will relieve congestion at key crossing points by investing reciprocally in border infrastructure and identifying technological solutions that will help to speed movement across the border.

We will identify and minimize threats to our critical infrastructure including the airports, ports, bridges, tunnels, pipelines and powerlines that link our countries.

(4) Coordination and Information Sharing in the Enforcement of these Objectives

We will put the necessary tools and legislative framework in place to ensure that information and intelligence is shared in a timely and coherent way within our respective countries as well as between them.

We will strengthen coordination between our enforcement agencies for addressing common threats.

December 12, 2001" (Quoted from: http://www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca/anti-terrorism/declaration-en.asp)

Within a year, the Smart Border Declaration was expanded into a 30 point Action Plan as this White House Press Release from December 6th of 2002 outlines (http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2002/12/20021206-1.html).