OTTAWA - Final approval of a massive $555-billion budget bill in the United States means that Canadians travelling by land or sea won't need a passport to enter the U.S. until at least June 1, 2009.
The 18-month delay of the passport requirement was contained in the budgetary spending bill passed last week by both houses of Congress and signed into law on Wednesday by U.S. President George W. Bush. The requirement is part of a U.S. law known as the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative.
Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day said in a statement that he welcomes the delay in the land and sea requirements but said he remains "concerned about the impact the United States' WHTI will have on the economy and border communities of both countries."
The initiative will eventually require all Canadians who travel to the U.S. to have a passport or other secure identity document. So far, it applies only to those who travel by air.
Day said he'll continue talks with U.S. officials "to confirm that alternative secure documents, such as enhanced driver's licences, will be accepted to enter the United States across the land border instead of a passport." He said the government's efforts "have generated considerable support for such alternative documents."
Still, Day said, Canadians should get a passport if they plan to travel to the U.S.
