On Monday March 16th 2015, Canadian Public Safety Minister Steven Blaney and US Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson signed an agreement that will pave the way for the long-awaited expansion of pre-clearance customs procedures at the Canada-US border, the latest in a series of proposals designed to protect domestic security, preserve international trade, and maintain strong diplomatic relations between Canada and the US in the wake of 9/11. Presented under the general banner of Beyond the Border, an initiative established in February 2011 through the jointly issued Beyond the Border: A Shared Vision for Perimeter Security and Economic Competitiveness, pre-clearance has been just one of a number of measures under debate in efforts to 'pursue a perimeter approach to security, working together within, at, and away from the borders of our two countries to enhance our security and accelerate the legitimate flow of people, goods, and services between our two countries' (Government of Canada, 2011: 34). To date, while pre-clearance has been in operation at a number of airports in the US and Canada, the same has not been true for those entering either country via land and seaports. Increasing delays at such locations following the major increases in security since 9/11 have contributed to a significant decline in cross-border traffic of up to 34%: while factors such as currency fluctuations also come into play, waiting times and added bureaucracy at the border have clearly played their part. 1 In terms of car vehicle passengers alone, the US Department of Transportation (2015) accounts for a drop of over 30 million annually between 2000 (90,046,948) and 2014 (59,664,192). Such figures offer a salutary reminder of the significant changes that the 21st century has so far seen in diplomatic and security relations between the two countries that share what was once the longest undefended border in the world. The figures speak to the ready flow of goods and people associated with this border; they illustrate the barrier the border has become for many, whether literally or psychologically; and they make palpable the sense of urgency for a return to those days of free flow that the pre-clearance measures, though not yet adapted to freight, promise. Of course, announcements such as the above, in shining the spotlight on flows and blockages at the Canada-US border, illuminate something only too familiar
