TRADE POLICY LEADERSHIP SEMINAR NATIONAL CONFERENCE OF STATE LEGISLATURES (NCSL) TRUCKING AND CROSS-BORDER MOVEMENT: QUÉBEC S PERSPECTIVE Benoit Cayouette Ministère des Transports du Québec November 29 th 2007 Phoenix, Arizona
Québec in North America: a continental gateway Entire U.S. Northeast within a 1000 km radius Correspond to the main Canadian trade corridor: Québec Ontario Linked to the main U.S. economic poles by road, rail, airports and waterways Easy access to the Atlantic: an efficient link between Europe and the heart of North America
Development of the Ontario-Québec continental gateway and trade corridor Coordinatedeffort ledby multilateral working groups: Federal government Provincial governments (Ontario and Québec) Private sector Objectives: Economic prosperity Modal integration Transportation system reliability Security and safety
U.S. Québec trade 85% of total international export go to U.S. Canada-US trade : largest bilateral trading partnership in the world In 2006 Value of Canada-US trade : $577 MM ca ( $1.58 MM /Day) Value of Québec US trade : $81.6 MM ca Sustained growth since the implementation of the Free Trade Agreement (1989) and the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA, 1994) Québec s main US partners : New York : $10.2 MM Pennsylvania : $4.6 MM Ohio : $4.5 MM Texas : $4.4 MM Illinois : $4.1 MM Michigan : $4.0 MM
Main trade corridors Maritimes Québec Ontario U.S. Midwest Québec New York Québec New England All linked to the U.S.
The U.S. Canada border in Québec 32 land border crossings along a 813 km (505 miles) border Traffic flows : Up to 7 million vehicles yearly (both directions) More than 1.6 million trucks (23.3%) 81% of commercial traffic through 4 border crossings (Lacolle, St-Armand, Stanstead and Armstrong) 62% of the value of Québec exports to the U.S is carried by trucks An important proportion (more than 30%) of Québec trucks cross the border using a port of entry located in Ontario, mainly in the Detroit region
Challenges for MTQ Maintain fluidity of people and goods at the border to support the economy Balance between fluidity and security: Respect each stakeholder s responsibilities Cooperate with state administrations and customs agencies Develop a global vision to improve the movement of goods at the border: All along the U.S. Canada border For all the transportation modes
Québec: a North American partner in security Updating of legislation to reflect new security imperatives Support for measures implemented by Canadian federal authorities and tightening of immigration controls under Québec s jurisdiction Province-wide anti-terrorism planning measures Creation of a government operations centre to optimize governmental emergency response measures Participation in numerous multilateral and bilateral consultative committees to promote improved cooperation between partners in order to facilitate free flow of goods across the border Québec s International Policy recognizes the importance of developing collaboration with US partners
MTQ s approach to maintain fluidity at the border Approach integrated to its mission that relies on: Road infrastructure Transportation policies Strong partnerships and cooperation
Transportation infrastructures Provide proper road infrastructures, compatible with U.S. customs facilities Provide infrastructures to support federal security programs FAST and Nexus Use the technologies available (ITS) to manage traffic at the border
Transportation policies Adapt the policies to the new security requirements at the border Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) Trade Act, Bioterrorism Act, APHIS user fees Ressources (human and financial) allocated to support compliance with program and policy changes Harmonize trucking regulation between the U.S. and Canada
Partnerships Develop strong partnerships with the stakeholders involved in transportation at the border to: Coordinate construction and improvement of infrastructures at the border Harmonize the implementation of programs and policies To be involved actively among working groups to share expertise and data: Eastern Border Transportation Coalition (EBTC) Can American Border Trade Alliance (CanAm BTA) Northeast Association of State Transportation Officials (NASTO) Transportation Border Working Group (TBWG) I-95 Corridor Coalition
Example of MTQ s approach: The Lacolle (A-15)/Champlain (I-87) border crossing Context: Located in Québec s main international trade corridor: Québec New York Main border crossing in Québec: Support 43% of international truck traffic crossing in Québec Nearly 700,000 trucks each year (both directions) Ranked 4 th in Canada in terms value of goods
Construction of a dedicated lane for trucks Separation of passengers and commercial traffic ahead of the border Harmonized with the General Service Administration s new facility Benefits: Increased road safety Improved fluidity: waiting time reduced from 2 hrs to 15 min. in average Facilitated customs activities
Implementation of a traffic management system (ITS) on A-15 southbound Inform road users of the circulation conditions at the border in real time with variable-message signs: Delays to cross the border Any incidents happening in the Québec New York corridor Benefits: Information to road users Increased road safety Improved traffic management
Success conditions Cooperation and communication between departments/ministries of transportation and federal customs agencies is essential at every step of any project at the border: Needs assessment Planning Design Construction Operations
Thank you! Questions/Comments? Benoit Cayouette Ministère des Transports du Québec (418) 644-4719, ext. 2347 Benoit.cayouette@mtq.gouv.qc.ca www.mtq.gouv.qc.ca