INST Committee Report
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CONCLUSION
The terrorist attacks on New York City and Washington, D.C., and the foiled attack that led to the downed plane outside Pittsburgh on September 11 were not only devastating to those who lost their lives, family and loved ones. They were a tragedy for all who believe in a free, democratic and civil society. Their destructive force extended beyond their impact sites, shaking consumer and investor confidence throughout North America and, in turn, propelling an already weak economy further downward. Structural problems in the airline sector and long-time underresourced Canada-U.S. border crossings that had been ignored became immediately exposed.
The government needs to make national security and border trade its prime focus and its first priority in the upcoming budget. Clearly, a more strategic approach to national security must be adopted. Such an approach involves more cooperation within North America; it also involves significant investments in more advanced technologies and infrastructure for customs and immigration control. There will be a hefty price tag associated with these long-term responses, but national security objectives can be met without sacrificing the government’s planned tax cuts over the next five years or the "innovation agenda" to be rolled out over the next decade. The sound fiscal policy course set by the Government of Canada over the past several years, along with credible and well-timed monetary policy, has left Canada’s financial books in good shape and resilient enough to weather the terrorist shock.
The Committee’s recommendations, we believe, offer timely counsel
to the Government of Canada and its agencies on how to effectively respond to the
post-September 11 security-conscious environment in a way that minimizes any further
adverse impacts on the Canadian economy. These
recommendations also advise the government to take bold action in resolving perennial problems of Canada-U.S. border crossings, suggesting a number of critical investments to be made in access infrastructure and highways, and state-of-the-art customs and immigration control equipment, the hiring of new personnel, and the adoption of modern and more strategic customs and immigration procedures. Greater Canada-U.S. cooperation on all of these fronts is also seen as vital to our success in providing national security, as well as economic security, to Canadians in these security-conscious times.
The Government of Canada must work to eliminate any real or perceived border problems in order that Canada continues to be one of the world’s safest countries to invest in, to trade with and to visit. Canada needs to ensure that the flow of goods and people across the Canada-U.S. border is not impeded by the adoption of new security measures. The recommendations detailed in this report are intended to make the border more secure and more trade efficient than ever.