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### Viewing cable 03OTTAWA2351, Canada seeks "Collective Security" Approach on Food

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Reference ID | Created | Released | Classification | Origin
--- | --- | --- | --- | ---
03OTTAWA2351 | 2003-08-18 20:08 | 2011-04-28 00:12 | UNCLASSIFIED | Embassy Ottawa

`

    This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

` `

    UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 OTTAWA 002351

    SIPDIS

    STATE FOR WHA, WHA/CAN, EB/TPP/ABT/ATP, EB/EPPD/PD

    WHITE HOUSE FOR HOMELAND SECURITY COUNCIL - MANN

    WHITE HOUSE FOR OFFICE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY POLICY -
    KERR

    WHITE HOUSE FOR OFFICE OF INFORMATION AND REGULATORY AFFAIRS

    DHS/BCBP for Bonner

    DHS OFFICE OF INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - Arcos and Kinney

    STATE PASS USTR FOR SAGE Chandler, AND OMB FOR John Morall
    AND Fumie Yakota

    HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY (Bill
    Steiger)

    Pass FDA

    E.O. 12958: N/A
    TAGS: ETRD TBIO PREL CA
    SUBJECT: Canada seeks "Collective Security" Approach on Food
    Safety

    REF: OTTAWA 0789 (Border Facts And Economic Impact)

    --------
    Summary:
    --------

    ¶1.  The Canadian Government desires to work closely with USG
    on biosecurity and harmonize forthcoming regulations
    stemming from the Bioterrorism Act (BTA).  During an August
    12 meeting with Robert Wright, number two at the Privy
    Council Office (PCO) and overseer of Canada's border
    security efforts, Wright emphasized that a principal
    objective of the GoC is to act in concert with the USG in
    order to enhance the collective physical and economic
    security of Canada and the United States.  Wright focused on
    FDA advance prior notice rules as a specific example of an
    area where collaboration would enhance collective security.
    Wright expressed a strong desire that USG and GoC work
    closely and share information during the development of such
    regulations that may have an effect on the physical and
    economic security of both countries.  More immediately,
    Wright asked how the GoC and USG might, even at this late
    stage, cooperate to ensure that forthcoming FDA rules
    account for the deeply integrated nature of the Canada-U.S.
    food market.  We assured Wright that the USG has heard GOC
    concerns and request Washington provide us with any
    information that may further assuage GOC concerns.  End
    Summary

    --------------------------------------------- ---
    GoC wants to contribute to "Collective Security"
    --------------------------------------------- ---

    ¶2.  Deputy Chief of Mission, accompanied by other State,
    Agriculture and Customs officers met with Robert Wright,
    Assistant Secretary to Cabinet and Coordinator for Security
    and Intelligence, for the Privy Council Office (PCO) August
    ¶12. Also present were Graham Flack, Director of the PCO
    Border Task Force, Anthony Ritchie, Senior Policy Advisor,
    Security and Intelligence, and other PCO staff.  The PCO
    manages the Canadian government bureaucracy, combining some
    of the functions of the U.S. National Security Council, the
    Office of Management and Budget, and the White House staff.
    Wright is also the principal assistant to Deputy Prime
    Minister Manley and Canada's point man on the Ridge-Manley
    "Smart Border" process. This is a new job for Wright - who
    is a long-time GOC senior mandarin.  The intent of the
    meeting was an introductory call and to allow Wright to
    discuss issues we knew were on his mind.

    ¶3.  Wright started the meeting by expressing his
    professional and personal appreciation for the mature and
    helpful manner in which the U.S. responded to the SARS and
    BSE crises.  Unlike other countries, the U.S. based its
    actions on sound science with a view toward assisting its
    close ally.  Wright then turned to the subject of new USG
    border-crossing rules that require pre-notification, some
    developed by U.S. Customs and others by the FDA.   He
    explained how well the process had gone, in his view, with
    US Customs in formulating the new rules, in particular U.S.
    and Canadian rules on pre-notification times and other
    details of cross-border trade.  The new rules in each
    country are now nicely meshed, Wright said.  He wants to
    accomplish the same with the upcoming FDA rules on food
    importation, but, unfortunately, he remarked, the stage is
    not being set as effectively with FDA as it was with US
    Customs.
    ¶4.  Embassy officials outlined to Wright the USG rulemaking
    process, including the opportunity to provide comments
    during the appropriate period but not after the comment
    period has closed.  Emboffs also noted that we are confident
    that FDA is taking fully into account the detailed comments
    provided by the GoC, provincial governments and private
    sector players on the FDA rules.

    ¶5.  Wright acknowledged the constraints in this particular
    rule-writing process, but emphasized that the GoC objective,
    because of the deep integration between the two countries,
    is to act in concert with the USG in order to enhance the
    collective security of Canada and the United States.  Wright
    told us Canada's modus operandi is for Canadian security and
    customs rules to mirror US regulation as closely as is
    possible, thus producing a harmonized security perimeter
    around Canada and the U.S.  In particular, Wright repeated
    his view that the pre-notification rules proposed by U.S.
    Customs and Border Protection on July 23, 2003 are an
    example of a collaborative process that enhances collective
    security.

    ------------------------------------------
    Discussion Needed to Smooth Implementation
    ------------------------------------------

    ¶6. Wright suggested that the new FDA rules would be a good
    subject for the upcoming Shared Border Accord (SBA) meeting
    in San Francisco in September.  According to Wright, a forum
    is required to discuss the forthcoming rules and
    (ostensibly) how the GOC might begin to craft its own rules
    (but clearly also to allow GoC to gain a "comfort level"
    with the forthcoming rules). Note:  Mission understands that
    the BTA regulations are on the SBA agenda. End Note.

    ¶7.  Wright observed that this autumn will be a sensitive
    period in Canadian politics due to a leadership transition
    and selection of a new Prime Minister, which will be
    completed this winter.  He signaled that immediate attention
    to working in concert on the FDA rules will attenuate the
    potential for any political difficulty arising in the wake
    of the rollout of the final rule in mid-October.   Wright
    suggested he did not want broad US-Canada cooperation to be
    derailed by the perception that the United States Government
    is imposing new rules that do not conform to the commitment
    of the two governments to work collectively on security and
    border issues.

    -------------------
    FYI:  Trade in Food
    -------------------

    ¶8.  In the first phases of implementation, Wright is afraid
    the new FDA rules will hold up perishable traded goods.  US
    exporters are the dominant suppliers of Canadian
    agricultural imports, accounting for nearly two-thirds of
    the total, while Canadian exporters ship more than half of
    their agricultural exports to the United States.  Canadian
    exports of perishable food items, namely fresh and frozen
    meats, fresh fish, fruits and vegetables are vulnerable to
    spoilage and deterioration under lengthy border delays.
    According to the Ontario Food Terminal, Canada's largest
    produce terminal, virtually all U.S. exports of fresh
    produce to Canada are by truck. Rather than return to the
    United States empty, the trucks commonly return with back-
    haul. In fact, their original departure from U.S. points is
    often dependent upon timely back-haul arrangements.
    ---------------------------
    Comment and Action Requests
    ---------------------------

    ¶9.  Wright conveyed two messages during the meeting:

    (A) From a strategic point of view, GoC believes it is in
    the interests of both the USG and GoC to collaborate closely
    and share information during the development of new
    regulations and rules that may have an effect on the
    collective physical and economic security of the two
    countries.  The shared border and the huge volume of trade
    make Canada a special case.  The "ideal" example presented
    by the GoC is of the cooperation between CBP and CCRA.

    (B) More immediately, the GoC wants some indication of what
    the final FDA pre-notification rule will contain (for
    example will the final FDA rule simply employ CBP pre-
    notification timelines).  Armed with this information the
    GoC would be able to begin to craft their own rules
    harmonized with those of the FDA.

    ¶10.  Comment:  Apart from the issues of process and
    cooperation between Canada and the United States,
    inefficient implementation of the rules could pose the
    possibility of major disruptions in cross border traffic and
    trade, which is not in our interests.  The fear we heard the
    other day was that when the BTA goes into effect in
    December, if dozens or hundreds of trucks must wait for FDA
    approval, or turn around in cramped border facilities, the
    resulting back-ups at the border would not just be a problem
    for Canada, but for the United States as well.

    ¶11.  Action Request:  In general, we assume Washington views
    favorably Canadian desire for additional collaboration
    during the development of regulations that would have a
    major impact on the border.  Specifically, with respect to
    the BTA prior notification rules being drafted now by FDA,
    what might be done (if anything) to assuage GoC concerns?

    Cellucci

`