Canada's Envoy: New Rules Could Hurt U.S.-Canada Relations

Wilson said Canada is worried about what will happen next year once passports are required at land and sea border points, an extension of the new rule that kicked in last month for air travelers long accustomed to traveling in North America with just a driver's license or birth certificate. "We are in full agreement with the motivation here," Wilson said of the measure that Congress passed in 2004 as an anti-terrorism effort. "What we are concerned about is the impact." Canada wants the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to announce a specific date for the new rule and also a gradual phase-out of documents other than the passport, Wilson said after a speech at the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta attended by the bank's first vice president, Patrick Barron. Some Canadians _ including 390,000 who visit Georgia every year, and another 2.2 million who visit Florida or even winter there as "snowbirds" _ might cut their conference and leisure travel plans until the rules are clearer. http://www.accessnorthga.com/news/ap_newfullstory.asp?ID=87102 [Proofreader's note: this article was edited for spelling and typos on February 7, 2007]

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