A bill that will simplify cross-border travel for many Canadians has received approval from the U.S. House of Representatives. The legislation, which was unanimously sent to the Senate last night, will ratify an agreement that was originally negotiated under the Harper government.
The long-awaited plan will introduce the border preclearance system, which has been in place at many Canadian airports for years, to other forms of transportation. In the short-term, this will mean trains, and then buses. Montreal's Gare Centrale, along with Vancouver's Pacific Central Station, will be the first train station to receive customs preclearance.
In addition to cutting wait times and simplifying international travel, the introduction of preclearance could also mean more routes to the United States from Canada. Once preclearance has been introduced, Amtrak has signalled it may re-start the Montrealer train line, which ran from Washington to Montreal through upper New England until 1995 (the line currently stops just short of the Canadian border, and is known as the Vermonter).
The U.S. legislation makes clear that American customs agents accused of committing crimes on the job would be prosecuted in U.S., and not Canadian, courts.
In addition to train stations, preclearance is also now set to come to Quebec City's Jean Lesage airport.