For the past year, the Government of Canada has strongly encouraged the United States to ensure that the WHTI is implemented with minimal impact on travel and trade at the border and without compromising local communities and our integrated economies.
The Government of Canada has urged the U.S. administration to take advantage of the time granted by the U.S. Congress to get the WHTI implementation right. This will allow the two governments to continue to collaborate closely on a strategy for implementing the WHTI for land and sea travel in a way that will address security needs, while facilitating the flow of legitimate travellers and goods across the shared border.
A working group headed by senior officials of the Canada Border Services Agency, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security is directing the work of government representatives.
Canada is concerned about the economic impacts of the WHTI on travel and trade if it is not implemented properly. Proper implementation means finding low-cost, easy-to-obtain secure travel documents and ensuring that travellers are processed efficiently at the border.
As part of this effort, the Government of Canada will work with British Columbia and Washington State on the development of their pilot to determine the feasibility of using smart or enhanced driver’s licences as valid border-crossing documents under the U.S. WHTI.
Government of Canada officials are working closely with their U.S. counterparts to determine which alternate documents would be accepted at the land border by the time the WHTI is fully implemented. Canada is working with the United States to ensure that the WHTI implementation increases security at the border without compromising the flow of legitimate trade and travel across the shared border.
| 2004 |
United States enacts the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 based on the 9/11 Commission Report. |
| April 2005 |
U.S. departments of State and Homeland Security announce the WHTI implementation strategy. |
| October 31, 2005 |
Government of Canada submits its Official Comment on the proposed WHTI to the U.S. government. |
| March 30–31, 2006 |
Prime Minister Harper makes the WHTI a priority issue when meeting with President Bush. An agreement between the two leaders is reached to have the U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff and Canadian Minister of Public Safety Stockwell Day begin working on resolving the difficulties related to the WHTI. |
| April 19, 2006 |
Minister of Public Safety and Secretary of Homeland Security conclude meetings in Washington, D.C., reconfirming both countries commitment to working together to ensure security and streamlined traffic flows at the border. |
| May 17, 2006 |
U.S. Senate adopts an amendment to delay implementation of the WHTI until June 1, 2009. |
| July 6, 2006 |
Prime Minister Harper meets with President Bush in Washington, D.C. Prime Minister Harper urges greater cooperation on the WHTI. President Bush applauds Canada's security efforts. |
| July 18, 2006 |
Minister of Public Safety and Secretary of Homeland Security meet in Edmonton to discuss progress on the WHTI, including draft standards for documents that could be used as alternatives to passports. |
| August 11, 2006 |
United States releases the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for Documents Required for Travelers Arriving in the United States at Air and Sea Ports-of-Entry from within the Western Hemisphere. |
| September 29, 2006 |
The U.S. Congress passes the Fiscal Year 2007 Homeland Security Appropriations Act, including an amendment to delay the WHTI until June 1, 2009. |
| October 4, 2006 |
President Bush signs into law the Fiscal Year 2007 Homeland Security Appropriations Act. |
| October 17, 2006 |
United States releases the proposed rules on the new PASS (People Access Security Service) card. |
| November 15, 2006 |
Minister Day and Secretary Chertoff meet again to further discuss the WHTI. |
| November 24, 2006 |
United States releases the final air rules. |
| January 18, 2007 |
Minister Day and Secretary Chertoff meet in Washington, D.C., to discuss progress on the WHTI. |
| January 23, 2007 |
The WHTI is implemented for air travel. |
| February 23, 2007 |
Minister Day meets with Secretary Chertoff in Ottawa to further discuss WHTI land and sea implementation and announces progress on three WHTI-related initiatives. |
| March 23, 2007 |
Minister Day speaks at signing of an agreement between Washington State and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to develop an enhanced driver's licence pilot. |
| June 8, 2007 |
Passport Canada announces a simplified passport renewal program and guarantor policy as part of a broader effort to modernize Canadian passport services and increase its capacity to better meet demand. |
| June 8, 2007 |
The U.S. departments of State and Homeland Security announce flexibility under the WHTI air rule. U.S. citizens travelling to Canada, Mexico, Bermuda or countries in the Caribbean region, who have applied for but not yet received passports, can re-enter the United States by air until September 30, 2007, with government-issued photo ID and proof of application for a passport. |
| June 20, 2007 |
United States releases the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) for the land and sea portion of the WHTI. The deadline for comments is August 27, 2007. The final rule will only be implemented with a minimum of 60 days advance notice. |
| January 31, 2008 |
The NPRM proposes that as of January 31, 2008, Canadian citizens will require government-issued photo ID and their birth certificate to enter the United States by land or sea. |
| Summer 2008 |
The NPRM proposes that as early as summer 2008, Canadian citizens will be required to present a valid passport, a NEXUS or FAST card, or other secure document considered acceptable by the U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security when entering the United States by land or sea. |
