Perimeter deal aims to integrate cross-border policing over land
BY CARL MEYERCanada, US look to make permanent a marine program tested during the Olympics and G20, and create a land-based version.
Under a new perimeter security plan, Canada and the United States are aiming for police in both nations to be able to permanently cross the maritime border and enforce each other’s laws—and for a new program to permit the same across land.
Shiprider, a marine cross-border law enforcement program that began in 2005 and has involved six pilot projects between the RCMP and the US Coast Guard, is being planned to become a permanent fixture of Canada-US policing by the summer of 2012.
As well, a new land-based version of the program, which the RCMP says could eventually draw in American agents from the US Federal Bureau of Investigation and the US Drug Enforcement Administration, could also be floated by next summer in the form of two pilot projects.
The next step in Canada-US policing integration was announced on Dec. 7 as part of the much-anticipated Canada-US perimeter security plan. Prime Minister Stephen Harper and US President Barack Obama announced the plan in Washington after 10 months of talks.
An RCMP official said the new direction was a "marked departure" from how law enforcement is currently carried out along the border and within both countries.
It is no coincidence that the new plan is coming bundled with the perimeter deal, the official said—there is likely no time as good as when there is political will in place to push forward such initiatives.
The Shiprider program has already allowed the RCMP and the US Coast Guard to place officers on each other's vessels on either side of the border and enforce each other's national laws. For example, a specially designated US vessel with an RCMP officer on board is able to travel into Canadian waters and enforce Canadian law.
Currently this program has only existed as a series of tests. The RCMP and US Coast Guard have run six programs over five years: in the Detroit-Windsor area in 2005, for the Detroit Super Bowl in 2006, in the Cornwall-Massena area between Ontario and New York, the Strait of Georgia in British Columbia in 2007, at the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, and at the G20 in Toronto in 2010.
Now, the program will push ahead with the formal ratification of the Shiprider Framework Agreement in the next few months and will establish “regularized Shiprider operations” by next summer, according to the perimeter document released on Dec. 7. In addition, by that time, both countries will also establish a “‘next generation’ pilot project” that will export the idea to land.
Nothing is certain
The new project is hoped to involve more Canadian and US agencies as well. The RCMP official, who spoke to Embassy during a background briefing on the perimeter plan, explained that the original idea only involved two agencies since cross-border law enforcement involves collaboration across different law enforcement cultures, regulations, and types of training, and it was thought that keeping it to two would keep things simple.
Now, Shiprider is expected to eventually expand to include other maritime law enforcement agencies, depending on where policing takes place. For example, if it occurs within Ontario, it could involve the Ontario Provincial Police, the official said. On land, the same idea will apply—other law enforcement agencies like the US Customs and Border Protection, the FBI, and the DEA could eventually be involved if all goes to plan.
All of this is planned for 2012, however, meaning nothing is certain. The deal contains no numbers, so budget figures will have to be hammered out. Which agencies will be involved and which officials will get special designation as cross-border officers will also need to be determined. As well, there is complex integrated training involved.
The perimeter deal revealed on Dec. 7 proposes several time frames to begin tackling everything from intelligence sharing to collaborating on cargo inspections, new airport security measures, food safety and testing standards, foreign nationals, exit data, trusted traveller lanes at the border, pre-clearance issues, border infrastructure, cyber security, and emergency management.
There is also a separate plan involving regulatory co-operation that aims to develop common approaches to food and transportation safety standards, food certification requirements and marketing rules, health care products, and the environment.
At least eight Canadian and nine American federal departments or agencies, as well as a handful of top officials and the two leaders on both sides are slated to become intimately involved in these new cross-border processes over the next few years, if all goes according to plan.
The plan was welcomed by big business, whose representatives the government presented to reporters at the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade headquarters in Ottawa. Perrin Beatty, president of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, said it was a “great day for Canadians.” President of the Canadian Council of Chief Executives John Manley congratulated the government. And Jayson Myers, president of Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters, said it was “extremely important.”
But all three also cautioned that the process is far from over. It will take significant political will to continue pushing the ideas forward, Mr. Beatty said. Mr. Manley added that he will be "very attentive" to the work that both governments will put into implementing the series of actions laid out in the plan. And Mr. Myers said "we have much more work to do."
Others panned the plan. The Council of Canadians said it creates privacy and public health risks, and warned that it should be debated before any aspects come into effect. The opposition parties similarly played down the announcement, with interim Liberal leader Bob Rae saying co-operation has been ongoing for years, and NDP international trade critic Brian Masse expressing privacy concerns.
Canada and the US will now move to strike a Beyond the Border Executive Steering Committee to see that the plan is implemented. The first committee will meet by June 30, 2012 and an initial report is expected by Dec. 31, 2012. There will also be a joint statement on privacy principles, to be finished by May 30, 2012.
Federal departments or agencies involved
Public Safety Canada
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Transport Canada
Department of Justice Canada
Canada Border Services Agency
Canadian Food Inspection Agency
Citizenship and Immigration Canada
Canadian Air Transport Security Authority
US Office of the Director of National Intelligence
US Department of Homeland Security
US Department of Justice
US Transportation Security Administration
US Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
US Food Safety and Inspection Service
US Department of Transportation
US Customs and Border Protection
US Department of State
Top officials involved
Prime minister
Public safety minister
International trade minister
Citizenship and immigration minister
US president
US secretary of homeland security
US secretary of state
US secretary of commerce
US attorney general
Source: Perimeter Security and Economic Competitiveness Action Plan
http://embassymag.ca/dailyupdate/printpage/perimeter_deal_aims_to_integrate_crossborder_policing_over_land_12-07-2011