CBP, along with its Canadian counterpart the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and local law enforcement representatives met with trade leaders in late July to discuss potential steps the governments and private sectors would take to keep trade moving in the event of a disaster or emergency situation.
This exercise brought together approximately 70 individuals from CBP, CBSA, local law enforcement, emergency responders and trade representatives to discuss hypothetical emergency scenarios and coordination, and walk through steps that each might take to ensure business resumption and trade facilitation.
"Making sure that we have protocols in place with our U.S. partners and the private sector in the event of a significant incident is mutually beneficial to our two countries," said Canada Border Services Agency President Alain Jolicoeur. "With about $1.9 billion in cross-border trade each day, business resumption plans will help increase the safety and efficiency of our border and ensure the free flow of legitimate travelers and commerce across our shared border."
Discussion topics included logistics, operational decisions and impacts, communications between and among agencies as well as with the media, and potential timeframes for reconstituting trade in the event of an incident. Working through the exercise scenarios helped fine-tune the joint response plans between the two countries.
In the days following 9/11, border operations on the northern and southern borders were severely impacted. This exercise represents tangible progress in risk-assessment and preventing such an extreme impact. It is also a key component of the Security and Prosperity Partnership, a tri-lateral agreement between the U.S., Canada and Mexico signed in 2005 to help develop a common approach to protecting North America from external threats while simultaneously facilitating the movement of legitimate trade and people across our borders.
"We are committed to securing our borders and facilitating legitimate trade and travel, and a key part of that is maintaining open channels of dialogue with other governments and community leaders." Commissioner Basham said.