Beyond the Border and Back to the Future: Seizing the Opportunity to Enhance Canadian and US Economic Growth and Security

In this issue... The ambitious Action Plan to be created by Canada and US leaders can avoid failure if mechanisms are put in place to ease flows of trade and people across the border – and protect individual rights. NO. 141, AUGUST 2011 INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC POLICY The leaders of Canada and the United States have announced an ambitious vision for perimeter security and economic competitiveness between the two countries. They have charged a working group with producing a multi-year Action Plan that will turn this vision into reality. The vision is centered on the idea that performing inspection and other formalities well before shipments and people arrive at the busy bilateral border will ease costly delays there, and that this can be achieved while simultaneously enhancing security and reducing costs for secure trade and for individuals. Given the high degree of personal and trade interaction between the two economies requiring frequent border crossings, the initiative makes sense. However, the Action Plan could b