International Trade committee  As has been discussed before, there's a lot of interconnectivity among all of the modes of transportation. Material that comes into Hamilton gets loaded on a truck from short-sea shipping at some point. A lot of times it has to cross the border, so it's all related. The more we can do to make sure that the border functions....

International Trade committee  My whole point is that you can invest tons of money in infrastructure, but if you don't have policies to support that or you have policies that actually hurt that investment, you really are defeating yourself. What happens with flagpoling is that, during the pandemic when you couldn't go to the border, IRCC had an online system, and if you applied before your work permit or residency permit expired, you were given what was called “implied status”.

International Trade committee  Yes, it will be happening at every port of entry coming into the United States; the non-intrusive inspection will be there. What we're saying is that at the big crossings, when you have a bridge where there's going to be time to adjudicate, why not put the technology on the Canadian side because it facilitates the movement of goods and traffic.

International Trade committee  Yes.

International Trade committee  We're not part of the pre-clearance model because this is in the cargo environment, which is different, but the principle is very much the same.

International Trade committee  They were when we made our original national trade corridor fund application. We got approved with an IBTTA permit from the International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association to do the technology, but specifically did not include facial verification. Therefore, we have applied again.

International Trade committee  The legislation is very clear. It indicates that by 2026, CBP, Customs and Border Protection, must have a plan for every truck entering the U.S., both southern border and northern border. They're phasing it in. The largest acquisition that U.S. customs has undertaken is the acquisition of non-intrusive inspection equipment.

International Trade committee  That's correct. The new technology is called a multi-energy portal. The cab gets scanned at a low dosage, if you want to call it that, and then the trailer is at a much higher energy. Yes, every truck can be done. It's done now at some ports. Every port has some form of X-ray equipment.

International Trade committee  It's happening now. Sometimes these schedules slip, as oftentimes happens, but the schedule in the legislation is 2026.

International Trade committee  It doesn't have to happen in Canada. What I'm saying is that if it happens in Canada, it means the truck doesn't have to stop on the U.S. side to get adjudicated. The way it works is that the truck gets scanned. Then there's a command centre where there are people who are watching the scan.

International Trade committee  Well, I think there are two things. One is being aware that it's happening, as it could have a big impact if we're not ready for it by 2026. The second thing is that we want to include facial verification. Customs already has photographs of the drivers in their system. What we're saying is to include that in the information packet of the cargo being scanned, the drivers and licence plates being scanned, the RFID technology and all that.

International Trade committee  I'll start with the last one. You mentioned the contract. The last contract with CBSA ended in 2022. My understanding is that they are negotiating a four-year contract that will end in 2025. If they settle this summer sometime, it will basically be good for one year, and they'll start all over again.

International Trade committee  Part of the problem is that the bridges are all run differently. The Ambassador Bridge is private; the Lewiston-Queenston Bridge runs on a similar model to us. Other bridge authorities take the perspective that it's for governments to figure out. We can't wait for the government, because if it gets imposed, it's just one incident away from becoming mandatory.

International Trade committee  Thank you, Madam Chair. Good afternoon. The Peace Bridge between Buffalo, New York and Fort Erie, Ontario is a critical land-border crossing, with 1.1 million trucks and 4.5 million cars crossing annually. Its public authority is governed by a 10-member international board, with the five Canadian members appointed by Privy Council upon the recommendation of the Minister of Transport.