[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 3]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 4025]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      CANADIAN BORDER PARTNERSHIP

                                 ______
                                 

                              HON. TED POE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 16, 2006

  Mr. POE. Mr. Speaker, as a Member of the House International 
Relations Committee, I would like to congratulate our neighbors to the 
north on their recent Parliamentary elections and the swearing in of 
Stephen Harper, the 22nd Prime Minister of Canada on February 6, 2006. 
Prime Minister Harper ran a successful campaign focused on a 
conservative agenda and creating a smaller, more effective government.
  Our two countries have had and will continue to have friendly 
diplomatic relations. The United States and Canada are each other's 
largest trading partners with $1.3 billion of trade crossing our shared 
border every day. It is my sincere desire that our American and the 
newly formed Canadian Government are not overly consumed by our 
economic ties that we turn a blind eye to ensuring strong border 
security. Our two countries will need to stand side by side and 
continue working together as neighbors to approach future challenges 
and confront mutual dangers to keep our countries safe from terrorism.
  It is now a known fact, despite some of the rhetoric in the American 
media, that none of the 9/11 hijackers entered across the U.S.-Canadian 
border to plan and implement their attacks. However, there have been 
two confirmed cases of terrorists captured while attempting to cross 
our large and extensive northern border. There is no denying that this 
threat still exists today and those who seek to do us harm will 
continue to exploit our vulnerabilities.
  The United States and Canada have taken measures to better secure our 
shared border. Recent efforts include a 32-point plan, commonly 
referred to as the ``Smart Border Accord'' that secures the border and 
facilitates the flow of travelers and goods through coordinated law 
enforcement operations, intelligence-sharing, infrastructure 
improvements, improvement of compatible immigration databases, visa 
policy coordination, common biometric identifiers in travel documents, 
prescreening of air passengers, joint passenger analysis units, and 
improved processing of refugee and asylum claims. I applaud these 
efforts and welcome ways to improve document standards that govern 
travel across our borders. I believe this can be done without 
sacrificing security and efficiency.
  In today's world, with the threats that we face, it is essential that 
we have friends and allies. Our Canadian neighbors to the north are our 
friends. I again congratulate them on their successful elections and 
look forward to working together in the future to ensure that both 
countries remain safe, secure, and prosperous for years to come.

                          ____________________