Establishing Joint Port Operations Committees at Eight Canadian Airports

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Establishing Joint Port Operations Committees at Eight Canadian Airports

-Posted by Assistant Secretary for International Affairs Alan Bersin

This week, the United States and Canada announced the establishment of Binational Port Operations Committees at eight Canadian airports that provide a U.S. preclearance service, as part of their commitment under the Beyond the Border Action Plan for Perimeter Security and Economic Competitiveness released by Prime Minister Harper and President Obama.

These eight bilateral committees will help facilitate legitimate cross-border trade and travel and promote collaboration on overall port management. In addition, each Binational Port Operations Committee has developed an action plan that includes specific initiatives to improve border management and efficiency.

Committees have been created at the following eight Canadian airports:

• Vancouver International Airport, Vancouver, British Columbia
• Calgary International Airport, Calgary, Alberta
• Edmonton International Airport, Edmonton, Alberta
• James Armstrong Richardson International Airport, Winnipeg, Manitoba
• Pearson International Airport, Toronto, Ontario
• MacDonald-Cartier International Airport, Ottawa, Ontario
• Pierre-Elliott-Trudeau International Airport, Montréal, Quebec
• Halifax Stanfield International Airport, Halifax, Nova Scotia

The Beyond the Border Action Plan, released in December 2011 by Prime Minister Harper and President Obama, lays out specific steps that both counties will take to facilitate legitimate trade and travel, while simultaneously ensuring security. The action plan focuses on four areas: addressing threats early; facilitating trade, economic growth and jobs; integrating cross border law enforcement; and strengthening critical infrastructure and cyber security.