Of course.
With regard to the latter, most recently the CSA has been actively tracking the development and implementation of the entry/exit initiative, the information-sharing program between Canada and the United States that is scheduled to become fully operational by the end of this year. The entry/exit initiative is one program in the broader Beyond the Border declaration that was unveiled in February 2011 and aims to enhance the collective security and accelerate the flow of legitimate goods, services and people both at and beyond the Canada-U.S. border.
Another cross-border matter that impacts our membership, and is the current subject of study for this committee, relates to Canadian residents' temporary use of American-plated vehicles while in Canada. Under the current legislative and regulatory framework, Canadian residents are only allowed to bring into Canada a foreign-plated vehicle temporarily for the purposes of transporting household or personal effects into or out of Canada for up to 30 days. In all other circumstances, if you buy, lease, rent or borrow a vehicle while outside of Canada, Transport Canada and Canada Border Services Agency legislation do not allow you to bring a vehicle into Canada for your personal use, even temporarily, unless it meets all Transport Canada requirements and you pay the duty and federal taxes that apply.
In our opinion, the current arrangement is outdated and does not reflect the growing trend in both countries towards making the border experience as seamless and as timely as possible for low-risk travellers. This policy ought to be modernized because, in its current form, it places an unnecessary restriction on the travel options of Canadian travellers who own U.S.-registered vehicles.
Over 60% of our members drive from Canada to their winter destinations annually. Generally, as snowbirds age, they opt to fly back and forth from Canada to the United States rather than tolerate the multi-day drive to their winter residences. In order to have a mode of transportation while they are down south, many of them will purchase a U.S.-plated vehicle. This is permitted in all Sunbelt states, particularly Florida, Arizona, California and Texas, and vehicles can be registered and insured with a Canadian driver's licence.
In certain instances, these Canadian travellers may be required to return to Canada in their U.S.-plated vehicles. Under the current legislation, if they cannot satisfy the existing exemption, these individuals are required to import the vehicle through the RIV program, the registrar of imported vehicles program, and pay the necessary import duties, taxes and program fees. These requirements make sense for vehicle owners who reside in Canada for most of the year, but seem excessive for owners of U.S.-plated vehicles who reside in the United States for up to six months annually and eventually intend to sell the vehicle in the United States.
Once again, I would like to thank the committee members for their invitation.
I'm happy to take any questions that you may have.