Reprieve in U.S. passport requirement ‘encouraging’

FORT FRANCES—Local leaders are encouraged by the U.S. House of Representatives’ decision Friday to approve a 17-month delay in the passport requirement for Canadians entering the country by land or ferry.
This decision comes in response to Canadian leaders and politicians from northern border states, as well as business and tourism groups on both sides of the border, who have argued the time frame for a new form of ID—whether that be a passport or alternative document—was too tight to implement properly without causing serious problems.
It originally was supposed to take effect Jan. 1, 2008 but with the 17-month delay, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security now has until June 1, 2009.
“I think it is a very welcome and pleasant surprise,” said Jerry Fisher, vice-president of the Northwestern Ontario Tourism Association and owner of Grassy Narrows Lodge.
“While hopeful, I never thought this effort could be modified in any way,” he added. “It does show how fighting for what you think is right is worth the effort.
“The BESTT coalition showed how effective a professional and strong network of Chambers of Commerce can be for those of us in business,” he added.
“It also showed how effective it is taking your message directly to decision-makers.
Fisher said there are areas like Michigan and Ontario willing to try a pilot program for real ID (smart driver’s licence).
“The delay may give needed time for that to evolve,” he noted. “There will also [be] a new [U.S.] government in office, which may look at things differently like perimeter security for the Americas.
“It is a very positive thing for tourism in Northwestern Ontario.”
Back in February, Fisher was in Washington, D.C. to participate in an ongoing lobby effort against the passport requirement being ushered in by the Bush administration.
Representing the North Western Ontario Business Partnership, Fisher was among a group of 30 people from across the United States (Vermont to Washington), as well as a few from Canada, who gathered for the Borders for Economic Security, Trade and Tourism (BESTT) conference.
Its purpose was to more clearly define a position on the passport legislation, talk about alternatives, and take that message to Congress.
Fort Frances Mayor Dan Onichuk said the news was “expected.”
“From the conversations at the meeting that I’ve been at, it was pretty much expected that was going to happen and there was a bit of rallying going on to ensure that never got derailed,” noted Mayor Onichuk, who had attended a border summit in Windsor in July.
A group of 60 mayors and officials from both sides of the border met there to draft a solution to satisfy the needs of cities as well as the U.S. government.
They ended up calling on Washington to, among other things, delay the implementation of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI), which would require passports or other combinations of documents for everyone entering the United States.
“It’s obviously a good thing. It will allow us more opportunity to convince them that going with full passports and all that stuff is not the way to go,” said Mayor Onichuk.
“It gives us a lot more time to do it, and potentially a different government of the day, also.”
“It’s very encouraging news,” echoed International Falls Mayor Shawn Mason. “It’s something we’ve been advocating from the beginning, since the announcement that WHTI was even being discussed.
“This will give those with the decision-making capacity the time to do the research and ensure that the I.D. program balances international security and cross-border trade and tourism,” she added.
Mayor Mason reiterated that requiring everyone to have passports to enter the U.S. isn’t the answer—especially considering the cost and time involved in getting one under the current system.
“We’re optimistic that there’s probably other ways this can solved while meeting the objective of security,” she remarked. “We know from history passports aren’t foolproof methods of proving citizenship. I’m sure there’s no ID program out there that is.
“We just have to make sure we are diligent when it comes to security, as well as diligent when it comes to ensuring cross-border trade and tourism continues, to ensuring that we can continue to conduct business,” she added.
The delay measure doesn’t force U.S. officials to actually take that long.
In fact, members of the House of Representatives have urged the earliest possible deployment of new strict identification requirements by the Homeland Security Department.
The delay also does not affect people entering the United States by plane or ship. They’ll still require passports starting Jan. 8, 2007.
(Fort Frances Times)