21 June 2012: Beyond The Border Steering Committee

“Today, the U.S.-Canada Beyond the Border (BTB) Executive Steering Committee met for the first time in Ottawa, Canada….To ensure continued transparency and accountability, the BTB Executive Steering Committee will generate a joint public report to be published in December 2012….”

Beyond the Border: A Shared Vision for Perimeter Security and Economic Competitiveness

“On February 4, 2011, President Obama and Prime Minister Harper announced the United States-Canada joint declaration, Beyond the Border: A Shared Vision for Perimeter Security and Economic Competitiveness. Beyond the Border articulates a shared approach to security in which both countries work together to address threats within, at, and away from our borders, while expediting lawful trade and travel.”

Declaration by President Obama and Prime Minister Harper of Canada … Beyond the Border: A Shared Vision for Perimeter Security and Economic Competitiveness – February 4, 2011

“…We share responsibility for the safety, security, and resilience of the United States and of Canada in an increasingly integrated and globalized world….

“We intend to work together in cooperation and partnership to develop, implement, manage, and monitor security initiatives, standards, and practices to fulfill our vision…

“We also recognize that cooperation across air, land, and maritime domains, as well as in space and cyberspace, our enduring bi-national defense relationship, and military support for civilian authorities engaged in disaster response efforts and critical infrastructure protection, have all contributed significantly to the security of our populations

[U.S. military crossing the border for “emergencies”.]

“We recognize that greater sharing of information will strengthen our ability to achieve the goals of this vision….

“We intend to work together to engage with all levels of government and with communities, non-governmental organizations, and the private sector, as well as with our citizens, on innovative approaches to security and competitiveness….

“We intend to develop an integrated strategy that would enable us to meet the threats and hazards that both our nations face, including natural disasters and man-made threats, including terrorism.

“We expect to continue strengthening our health security partnership, through existing mechanisms for cooperation on health emergencies, and by further enhancing our collective preparedness and response capacity to a range of health security threats, including influenza pandemics….

“…We intend to make the Agreement Between the Government of the United States of America and the Government of Canada on Emergency Management Cooperation, updated in 2008, a cornerstone of these efforts.

“To increase security, counter fraud, and improve efficiency, we intend to work together to establish and verify the identities of travelers and conduct screening at the earliest possible opportunity. We intend to work toward common technical standards for the collection, transmission, and matching of biometrics that enable the sharing of information on travelers in real time. This collaboration should facilitate combined United States and Canadian screening efforts and strengthen methods of threat notification.

“In order to promote mobility between our two countries, we expect to work towards an integrated United States-Canada entry-exit system, including work towards the exchange of relevant entry information in the land environment so that documented entry into one country serves to verify exit from the other country.

[Exit, not just entry. This is the New World Order where your regional administration knows you are leaving, not just arriving.]

“We intend to cooperate to identify, prevent, and counter violent extremism in our two countries. By working cooperatively on research, sharing best practices, and emphasizing community-based and community-driven efforts, we will have a better understanding of this threat and an increased ability to address it effectively.

[“Violent extremism” doesn’t refer to government violence against Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, etc. Or water-boarding and other torture.]

“We intend to formulate jointly United States-Canada privacy protection principles that should inform and guide our work in relation to facilities, operations, programs, and other initiatives contemplated by this Declaration.

[Throwing you a bone, some lip service to “privacy” while sharing information at the same time. Ha ha, how ironic.]

“We intend to work together to promote the principles of human rights, privacy, and civil liberties as essential to the rule of law and effective management of our perimeter…

[Again, more with the funny ironic stuff about “principles”, “rights”, “privacy” and even “civil liberties”. And they talk about the “rule of law” in the same breath as talking about “our” perimeter, meaning Canada and the U.S. is an entity that has some kind of single perimeter.]

“We recognize the importance of the U.S.-Canada Framework for the movement of Goods and People across the Border During and Following an Emergency, agreed to in 2009….

[“Emergencies” of any kind are going to be the excuse for moving people across the border. Isn’t that nice? Looking forward to that.]

“Integrated Cross-border Law Enforcement

[Literally police forces from the U.S. operating in Canada].

“We intend to build on existing bilateral law enforcement programs to develop the next generation of integrated cross-border law enforcement operations that leverage cross-designated officers and resources to jointly identify, assess, and interdict persons and organizations involved in transnational crime.

“We intend to seek further opportunities to pursue national security and transnational crime investigations together to maximize our ability to tackle the serious security threats that these organizations and individuals present.

“We intend to improve the sharing among our law enforcement agencies of relevant information to better identify serious offenders and violent criminals on both sides of the border…

You can read the full text.

They promise lots of jobs despite all the international “free trade” agreements already implemented!? And despite the current calls for austerity!

They promise privacy AND information sharing!?

They promise sovereignty AND integration and cooperation of security forces!? (They use the words “sovereign” and “integrated”.)