Canada U.S. border deal

Prime Minister excited by new border agreements with U.S.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper is hailing a new set of border agreements between Canada and the United States as a merger between security concerns and the need for commerce and travel.
Harper says the deals on perimeter security and regulatory harmonization represent the most significant steps forward in Canada-U.S. co-operation since the North American Free Trade Agreement.
The PM adds they create a “new, modern border for a new century.”
Harper says Canada shares U.S. security concerns, but he adds measures to deal with criminal and terrorist threats can thicken the border and hinder efforts to create jobs and growth.
He calls the border deals “practical steps to reverse that direction.”
Key features of the perimeter security pact, including a controversial new entry-exit system, are at least three to four years away.
The 29-point deal and an accord on regulatory reform aim to streamline trade while protecting the continent from terrorist attacks and other security threats.
But interim Liberal Leader Bob Rae says there’s not much to the agreements.
He points out that Obama says the agreements are subject to budgetary constraints, in other words, if the money’s not there, action might not be taken.
And Rae says several cross-border issues aren’t being dealt with, including a $5 fee for travel from Canada into the United States and moves toward protectionism south of the border.