Speech #1050176994

The United StatesCanadian trade relationship is the worlds largest. totaling $272 billion in 1995. Compare this to $256 billion in trade with the entire European Union and $188 billion in trade with Japan during that same period. The unnecessary border crossing delays which would surely result from the implementation of Section 110 would negatively affect our dynamic trading relationship with our Northern neighbor and would wreak havoc with the flow of traffic at the border. Each year. more than eight million trucks cross the eastern United StatesCanada border carrying a variety of goods to market. Additionally. the Eastern Border Transportation Coalition has estimated that 57 million cars crossed that region in 1995. Sixty percent of these were day tripspeople crossing the border to go to school or work. attend cultural events. shop. visit friends. and the like. The remaining forty percent of auto border crossings were by vacationers making significant contributions to both nations economies. Might I note that visitors from the U.S. comprise the largest single group of vacationers in Canada and Canadians are the largest single nonU.S. group of vacationers in Florida. It was not the intent of Congress to interfere with the vibrant trading relationship that we enjoy with our Canadian friends.