Leaders from Canada and the United States call for a Zone of Confidence Between the two Countries

November 26, 2001

In a letter delivered today to United States President George W. Bush and Canadian Prime Minister Jean ChrǸtien, twenty-one Canadian and United States leaders called for a “zone of confidence” between the two countries that would accommodate security concerns raised by the September 11 attacks.

The leaders said as part of this zone, the United States and Canada could agree on desired outcomes to achieve a level of security that “works for both countries without having to adopt uniform immigration and asylum policies”.

They pointed out that “because the two countries share so much common ground … it is very unlikely that sovereignty or security would be sacrificed through more bilateral co-operation focused on shared outcomes.”

The signatories cited new short-term demands for border management. “For the immediate future,” they said, “we need sufficient staff at the border to move people and goods rapidly while meeting security requirements. Strong trade relies on the efficient and safe flow of goods and people. We see this as a short-term requirement but not a long-term solution”.

The leaders also called for a “smart border” approach that would use technology to enhance both security and the flow of goods and people across the border, noting the benefits of enhanced co-ordination, information exchange and resource sharing.

The members of the bilateral group said that “more intense economic integration, as well as heightened threats to common security characterize the new environment in which we live. This requires that our two governments advance a bold and confident vision of who we are, what we want to be, and what we have in common.”

Earlier this year, the group began meeting to discuss economic issues of concern to both countries and a broader range of subjects germane to the future of the relationship.

The participants were convened at the invitation of Peter McPherson, President of Michigan State University and former Deputy Secretary of the Treasury, and Thomas d’Aquino, President and Chief Executive of Canada’s Business Council on National Issues — an organization composed of the 150 chief executives of the country’s leading corporations.

“A zone of confidence and a smart border are what is needed,” said McPherson, who in 1988 was a negotiator of the Canada-United States Free Trade Agreement that took effect in 1989. “In the short-term we support allocation of resources to keep goods and people moving at the border, and we are appreciative of what governments have done.”

International trade lawyer and business strategist d’Aquino said “Canadian and American jobs and growth depend more than ever on open trade and investment between our two countries.” Referring to the shock effect of the September 11 tragedy, he said “this crisis will encourage us to concentrate our minds, to think outside the box and find in technology, innovation and in a new spirit of co-operation the answers that Americans and Canadians are seeking to secure and enhance the trust and prosperity that we share”.

The signatories are listed in the letter addressed to President George W. Bush and Prime Minister Jean ChrǸtien.