I really do appreciate the opportunity to speak to this rather important issue.
The whole concept of managing exit information in Canada is really the cornerstone of the modernization of managing Canada's border. Historically, Canada has not collected information on individuals leaving the country, whether they be Canadians or non-Canadians. As such, it has been impossible to reconcile the entries into and the exits out of Canada.
Canada and the United States are two of the few remaining countries that don't do this. Anyone who has travelled in Europe recently will know that upon leaving Europe you will be encountering an individual who will ask you for your passport information and so on.
This is a fairly significant portion of the Beyond the Border action plan. Last June—on June 30, to be precise—we undertook to work with the U.S. We began the project of exchanging information on non-Canadians and non-U.S. citizens at the land border. We are currently working on the next steps. They are articulated clearly in the Beyond the Border action plan, which targets full implementation by June 30, 2014.
Again, this is a fairly significant area in terms of allowing us to reconcile entry and exit and to effectively manage Canada's border.