Trinational Call for a North American Economic and Security Community by 2010

March 14, 2005-Three former high-ranking government officials from Canada, Mexico, and the United States are calling for a North American economic and security community by 2010 to address shared security threats, challenges to competitiveness, and interest in broad-based development across the three countries.

The statement was released in Washington, DC today in advance of the upcoming North American Summit on March 23 in Texas with President Bush, Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin, and Mexican President Vicente Fox. It reflects the consensus of the chairs and vice chairs. In the spring, the Task Force will release its complete report, which will assess the results of the Texas summit and reflect the views of the full membership.

Findings and recommendations:

* Build a North American economic and security community by 2010. To enhance security, prosperity, and opportunity for all North Americans, the chairs propose a community defined by a common external tariff and an outer security perimeter.
* Create the institutions necessary for a North American community. The chairs propose annual summit meetings among the three countries and the creation of a North American Advisory Council to prepare for and implement the decisions made at the summits.
* Enhance North American competitiveness with a common external tariff. Over the last decade, nations around the world, from China to India to Latin America to the expanded membership of the European Union, have become increasingly integrated into the global market. To meet these challenges to North American competitiveness, the chairs recommend that the three governments negotiate a common external tariff on a sector-by-sector basis at the lowest rate consistent with multilateral obligations: "Unwieldy rules of origin, increasing congestion at ports of entry, and regulatory differences among the three countries raise our costs instead of reducing them."
* Develop a border pass for North Americans. The chairs propose a border pass, with biometric indicators, which would allow expedited passage through customs, immigration, and airport security throughout North America. "The governments of Canada, Mexico, and the United States should commit themselves to the long-term goal of dramatically reducing the need for physical scrutiny of traffic, travel, and trade within North America."
* Adopt a unified Border Action Plan.....cont
source-cfr

I don't find that to be all that unusual, North America has been towards something like this for quite sometime. And I really don't think it's all that bad of an idea to keep countries who share the same border on the same page. I really believe we should be working as closely as we can with Mexico and Canada as I think it would be beneficial for all involved.

As long as they don't mess this up they way they have NAFTA and FFTA it really shouldn't be much of a problem. As a matter of fact initiating a common tariff my help resolve some of the problems we are facing with now with FFTA, such as the problem we are having with gas imports from Mexico and the Lumber industry in Canada. Not to mention it would set us all on the same even keel which is necessary to truly have a global economy.

Now weather or not we need a global economy and how important our borders are are up for discussion but as things are going right now I don't see this as being to detrimental.

Canada should remain liberal and autonomous as they have been...furthermore they should excuse themselves from the British Commonwealth. Opening the borders only benefits crime and corporate greed. Canadians would see their cities turn into Detroit overnight.This move might look good on paper but the Canadian outlook as a whole is much healthier than its American counterpart. Americans are too greedy to think of things like the environment or to make meaningful regulations when it comes to protecting rights ...unless we are talking about corporate rights.
If Canadians fall for all that ridiculous " security" crap then they will get what they deserve for being naive.
All this world war, security crap is just a smokescreen anyway. It serves to promote an agenda that would otherwise be laughed at in peaceful times. So a few crazy people fly off the handle, thats what jail is for and a world court through the U.N. It is no reason to launch a war against the Muslim world and create monster legislation like the patriot act or go so far as to do away with a nations sovereignty.