Mr. Speaker, in response to part (c) of the question, the Minister of Public Safety met with the U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security, Alejandro Mayorkas, virtually on August 3, August 16 and November 5, 2022, and in Washington, D.C. on September 12, 2022. The Minister of Public Safety also met virtually with the U.S. ambassador to Canada, David L. Cohen, on August 31, 2022. Each meeting resulted in a reaffirmation that Canada and the U.S. will continue to work co-operatively on the NEXUS program.
In response to part (a), the CBSA is working with United States Customs and Border Protection to mitigate the impact on NEXUS members by implementing various measures to address the extended closure of the enrolment centres. These include extending program benefits for up to five years from the date of expiration to members who apply to renew their membership prior to expiry, and holding seven free and secure trade, or FAST, enrolment events since 2021, which have led to 3,710 new approvals and reduced the number of FAST applicants awaiting interviews by approximately 20%.
In response to part (b), the enrolment centres in Canada remain closed at this time, and no dates have been confirmed for their reopening.