INST Committee Report

LIST OF RECOMMENDATIONS

1. That the Government of Canada establish a high-level bilateral ministerial summit between Canada and the United States on border issues, spanning security, trade facilitation and immigration concerns, with the objective of developing a comprehensive and coordinated long-term management plan for Canada-U.S. border crossings.

2. That the Government of Canada include, in its upcoming budget statement, plans with the United States regarding security, for example, the coordination of immigration and customs policies, procedures and information sharing, as well as the expected costs of such initiatives.

3. That the Government of Canada develop and fund an infrastructure program to improve the highways linking Canada’s existing border crossings as well as modern off-site inspection areas and access roads, and that these facilities and crossing points be equipped with enhanced security technologies.

4. That the Government of Canada immediately implement, using the best available technology, a comprehensive paperless pre--approval system for all "just-in-time" commercial shipments.

5. That the Government of Canada, as part of its discussions and negotiations with the United States, include the proposal to conduct Canadian customs inspections in the United States and U.S. inspections in Canada ("reversal of inspections").

6. That the Government of Canada expedite discussions and negotiations with the United States to reactivate modern customs and immigration procedures, such as NEXUS, CANPASS and other pre-approval programs, which may include biometric technologies and the creation of shared-information systems.

7. That the Government of Canada’s upcoming budget provide for an increase in customs and immigration personnel.

8. That the Government of Canada ensure that the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, and other stakeholders responsible for ensuring the safety and security of the food supply, receive adequate resources to carry out their work. Resources should be directed at all levels of the supply chain from production through inspection and delivery of food. The expenditure associated with these resources should not be subject to cost recovery.

9. That the Government of Canada carefully examine the viability of Canada’s air transport industry.

10. That the Minister of Finance, in his next budget statement, confirm national security and border trade as the Government of Canada’s number one priority at this time and back this commitment with needed expenditure initiatives.

11. That the Minister of Finance, in his next budget statement, confirm the Government of Canada’s commitment to the five-year tax reduction program it set out in Budget 2000.

12. That the Government of Canada continue a fiscal strategy of developing a two-year rolling plan, backed by a contingency reserve, using conservative economic assumptions to deliver a federal budget that does not contemplate a return to a deficit.

13. That the Government of Canada continue the practice of retiring its debt by an amount that is not less than the funds available in the contingency reserve at the end of each fiscal year.

14. That the Government of Canada impose spending limits and, if necessary, cutback on low-priority spending in the budget plan should economic fundamentals weaken beyond expectations, or should additional external shocks require greater-than-anticipated national security spending, and begin to threaten the desired fiscal balance.

15. That the Government of Canada work with the private sector and community leaders to provide broadband services to areas of the country that do not currently have broadband access on a region-by-region basis. Regions to be connected first should be those areas in which it is unlikely that the private sector, on its own, will provide broadband services. In this manner, northern and rural areas will not be disadvantaged any further.

16. That the Government of Canada consider increasing appropriations to certain government departments, agencies and programs (the Industrial Research Assistance Program, the Technology Partnerships Canada program, the National Research Council of Canada and the Canadian Space Agency), as described in the Committee’s fifth report.