# Canada and U.S. reach agreement on billion-dollar perimeter security pact



## GAP (4 Oct 2011)

Canada and U.S. reach agreement on billion-dollar perimeter security pact
Article Link
By: Jim Bronskill and Mike Blanchfield, The Canadian Press Posted: 10/4/2011

OTTAWA - A much-ballyhooed perimeter security deal between Canada and the United States will come with a $1-billion price tag for new border facilities and programs to make trade and travel easier, The Canadian Press has learned.

The Conservative government will use money cut from existing programs to cover the hefty cost of the international pact — an attempt to protect the continent from terrorist threats while speeding the flow of people and products across the 49th parallel.

The deal, as described by several sources, is more evolutionary than revolutionary, falling short of the grand vision outlined with fanfare eight months ago when Prime Minister Stephen Harper and U.S. President Barack Obama announced negotiations.

Emblematic of this reality is the fact there are no immediate plans for a prime ministerial-presidential announcement of the agreement — to be unfurled this month — because the Prime Minister's Office has been unable to persuade the White House to make Obama available.

Canadian officials are heading to Washington this weekend to make a final pitch for a public signing ceremony.

"It's very incremental, it not big and visionary," said a source with detailed knowledge of the deal. "Which is why the White House is saying, 'Really, you expect the president to announce a working group?'"

Sources spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to discuss the pact ahead of its public release.

The so-called Beyond the Border action plan will include some three dozen items the governments plan to pursue together. A number could be in place within months while others would take as long as four or five years to implement.

Harper has placed strong emphasis on "the things that can be done quickly" — picking the "low-hanging fruit" as opposed to a broad, sweeping agreement that addresses every possible border issue, said one person who was briefed on the plans.
More on link


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## The Bread Guy (4 Oct 2011)

According to CBC.ca, all that's left to do is to decide when to "announce" it:


> A Canada-U.S. plan for a so-called security perimeter is ready to go except for one issue: finding time to announce it.
> 
> CBC News has learned that the most contentious issues, such as immigration, refugee standards and the harmonization of some security measures have been stripped out of the agreement.
> 
> ...


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## cupper (4 Oct 2011)

Can't see an announcement "ceremony" happening any time soon.

And who is Harper trying to impress with a big "ta-do"? This hasn't made any amount of coverage south of the border, and is most likely going to be relegated to a few words in a 1/4 column in the last page of the World News section of the major US papers. North of the border the conspiracy theorists will use it as more proof that Harper wants to turn Canada into states 51 to 60 (62 if you confer full statehood on the territories as well).

Hell, a story about fossils in Trepassy Newfoundland go more coverage on NPR today. (Haven't heard a Newf accent in quite a while)


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## Edward Campbell (5 Oct 2011)

cupper said:
			
		

> Can't see an announcement "ceremony" happening any time soon.
> 
> And who is Harper trying to impress with a big "ta-do"? This hasn't made any amount of coverage south of the border, and is most likely going to be relegated to a few words in a 1/4 column in the last page of the World News section of the major US papers. North of the border the conspiracy theorists will use it as more proof that Harper wants to turn Canada into states 51 to 60 (62 if you confer full statehood on the territories as well).
> 
> Hell, a story about fossils in Trepassy Newfoundland go more coverage on NPR today. (Haven't heard a Newf accent in quite a while)




These folks: 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





 the US Congress who remain ill-informed, often because they hear lies from protectionist industry lobby groups, about the state of our common, continental security issues.

The White House is not a real problem, even Janet Napolitano is informed (even if she doesn't quite understand) that the Canada/US border is not the issue 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




; it is the Congress, especially the House, which needs to be given reassurances.


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## cupper (5 Oct 2011)

And you think a signing or announcement ceremony will achieve that?
 :dunno:

Just remember that these people have only one thing in mind, to get re-elected. And border security is a good hot button topic. And they do not care about the facts, just the sound bites that their constituents want to here.


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## Old Sweat (5 Oct 2011)

As was discussed elsewhere, there is also the desire to placate Hispanic voters by treating the Canadian border as a threat equal or greater than the border with Mexico. Add to that, various protectionist measures and we are faced with a continuing struggle with the American bureaucracy, let alone pandering politicos and brain dead pundits/commentators.


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