WASHINGTON, July 7 (UPI) -- Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper has urged the U.S. Congress to show "flexibility" on ID policy.
In a press conference with U.S. President George W. Bush Thursday during his visit to Washington, Harper discussed a new program that would require government-approved identification for travelers from Canada to the United States. He suggested the initiative endangered trade, tourism and cross-border relations, CongressDaily reported.
"I would just urge the Congress to think carefully, that if the fight for security ends up meaning that the United States becomes more closed to its friends, then the terrorists have won," Harper said. He indicated he supported efforts under way on Capitol Hill to delay implementation of the program.
The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative passed by Congress in 2004 requires travelers to the United States from the Americas, the Caribbean and Bermuda to have a passport or other accepted document that establishes identity. The Senate is taking steps to delay the start of the program, CongressDaily said.
The Appropriations Committee of the U.S. Senate recently approved an amendment by Sens. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., and Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, that would delay implementation until June 1, 2009. The requirements are currently set to begin Jan. 1, 2007, for all air and sea travelers and Jan. 1, 2008, for all land travelers, the report said.
Saying the matter is in the hands of Congress, Bush did not explicitly back an extension of the deadline. But he said he supported "a lot of flexibility and simplicity" in the law, and he acknowledged that "we need to get to the Canadian government as quickly as possible our definition of what a reasonable policy is."
