U.S. Launches $1 M. Leahy-Led Ad
Effort Aimed At Canadian Visitors
In Advance Of New U.S. Border
Crossing Requirements Next June
BURLINGTON, Vt. -- (Tuesday, Oct. 14) – With
tourism from Canada on the rise in recent years, U.S. Senator
Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) announced Tuesday that the U.S. State
Department will launch a $1 million English and French public
relations campaign in Quebec and its neighboring Atlantic Canadian
provinces to raise awareness of new U.S. border crossing
requirements set to begin next June. Leahy, a senior member of
the Senate Appropriations Committee, secured the funding in a budget
bill enacted earlier this year. Leahy chartered the outreach
effort to help make crossing the Vermont-Quebec border as
straightforward as possible in anticipation of holiday traffic,
winter vacationers and next year’s Lake Champlain Quadricentennial
celebration.
Next June, the Department of Homeland Security
plans to begin implementing the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative
(WHTI), which will require those crossing the border to present a
valid passport, U.S. Passport Card, or WHTI-compliant document, such
as a NEXUS, SENTRI, or FAST card. The WHTI, established in the
Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004, requires
all travelers to present a passport or other document that denotes
identity and citizenship when entering the United States. For
the last four years Leahy has led several successful efforts in
Congress to force the Bush Administration to fix the WHTI’s
problems. Leahy’s legislation has pressed the Department of
State and the Department of Homeland Security to implement the WHTI
only after cooperating with Canadian officials, launching adequate
public education efforts to help educate and prepare Americans and
Canadians, and ensuring that any new travel documents are secure and
convenient.
“Major changes are coming to U.S. border crossings
next June, but many people on both sides of the border either do not
know about them or aren’t ready,” said Leahy. “This new
advertising campaign, in both English and French, will help
Americans and Canadians know which citizenship documents will be
accepted well before they get to the border booth. Making sure
you have the right documents ahead of time should help the border
agents process cars more quickly and reduce the wait times at all of
our crossings.”
“Thank you to Senator Leahy for his continued
leadership to facilitate the ease of travel across the U.S.-Canadian
border. We are pleased to learn of the new resources the
Senator has secured,” said Tim Shea, Vice President of the Lake
Champlain Regional Chamber of Commerce. “Especially with our
Canadian tourism numbers at an all time high, we want to build
awareness of the imminent rule change and ensure that residents on
both sides of the border are fully prepared.”
“This piece of legislation is absolutely critical
to educating the public about the documentation required to cross
the border,” said Bruce Hyde, Commissioner of the Vermont Department
of Tourism and Marketing. “The 400th Anniversary of
Samuel de Champlain’s exploration of Lake Champlain should attract
thousands of Canadian visitors to Vermont in 2009. These
dollars come at a critical time, as the uncertainty and confusion
about border crossing could certainly dampen enthusiasm to travel to
Vermont.”
Vermont merchants, tourism officials and the
Burlington International Airport have reported an increase in
Canadian tourism this year. Leahy says he hopes this
advertising campaign in and around Quebec will ensure that Canadians
know that Vermont remains open and welcoming for business and
travel.
Leahy, who brought the Senate Judiciary Committee
to Newport, Vermont, a year ago to examine the impacts of tighter
border security on cross-border trade, said he has heard from
Vermonters from Beecher Falls to Derby Line to Alburgh who report
that new security measures simply are not well understood by people
on either side of the border.
According to Leahy, the Department of State and
the Department of Homeland Security admitted the agency was doing no
outreach to Quebec in French. Leahy, whose wife Marcelle is
from Newport and grew up in a Francophone home, said it’s important
to Vermont’s economy and culture that French-Canadians hear about
upcoming changes in their native language.
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