Mr. Speaker, the American government announced that it will exempt children from the western hemisphere travel initiative requirement of all visitors to show a passport at land and sea borders crossings starting in 2009. Canada's new government has been working with the American government to have children exempted from the U.S. WHTI requirements.
Thanks to the Minister of Public Safety's ongoing efforts, children will be exempted from this requirement. That means children who are vacationing with their families or participating in sports tournaments or cultural activities can continue to cross our shared border without a passport.