Passports and PASS cards, identity and citizenship : Study on the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI)

With these adverse effects, scepticism about the ability to meet the tight implementation timelines, and concerns regarding the impact of the WHTI on Canadian residents and the Canadian economy, the Standing Senate Committee on Banking, Trade and Commerce held hearings in June 2006 on the economic consequences of the WHTI for Canada. [...] The Committee cannot stress strongly enough the importance of ensuring that the WHTI is implemented in a manner that minimizes disruptions to the legitimate movement of people and goods across the shared border. [...] For these reasons, the Committee recommends that: 1. The federal government work with the U. S. Departments of Homeland Security and State to ensure that the documents approved as meeting the requirements of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative – including, but not limited to, a passport – are easily obtained and at a reasonable cost. [...] STUDY ON THE 8 WESTERN HEMISPHERE TRAVEL INITIATIVE (WHTI) BANKING, TRADE AND COMMERCE CHAPTER THREE: THE RIGHT DOCUMENT FOR THE RIGHT PEOPLE AT THE RIGHT TIME ________________________________________________________________________ A. What the Witnesses Said 1. Pilot Projects Some of the Committee’s witnesses advocated the implementation of pilot projects before Western Hemisphere Travel Initiati [...] CHAPTER FOUR: THE RIGHT APPROACH TO BORDER SECURITY ________________________________________________________________________ A. The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative as a Border Security Measure A number of the Committee’s witnesses questioned the extent to which the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) will meet the goal of improved security at the border.