Canada Customs & Revenue Agency
News Release

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Released: 09 June, 1998

New Program To Speed Travellers Through Customs / Immigration

OTTAWA, June 9, 1998.... The Minister of National Revenue and M.P. (Vancouver South-Burnaby), the Honourable Herb Dhaliwal, and the Honourable Lucienne Robillard, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, have announced the national launch of the CANPASS Corporate Aircraft Program, a new initiative that will allow pre-approved business travellers to quickly and easily clear customs and immigration.

Details of the program were released today in Montréal by Mrs. Sue Barnes, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Revenue and M.P. (London West), at the Canadian Business Aircraft Association Convention.

"The new CANPASS Corporate Aircraft Program responds to the specific needs of the business community," Minister Dhaliwal said. "It makes it easier for legitimate Canadian businesses to travel across the border, which in turn makes them more competitive in today's global market."

Under this new program, qualifying applicants will receive a permit which will allow them to clear customs and immigration by calling Revenue Canada's Telephone Reporting Centre before they arrive in Canada.

Under the CANPASS Corporate Aircraft Program, permits will only be granted to individuals who have been security cleared. Customs and immigration officers will maintain the right to carry out verifications of flights as part of their role in enforcing Canadian laws at the border.

"The idea is to balance client services with border protection," the Minister said. "The CANPASS family of initiatives allows us to provide better service for our various client groups while focusing our enforcement efforts on high-risk areas."

Travellers in the business sector will be able to apply for registration in July of 1998. The program will be available across Canada to Canadian and U.S. corporations in the fall.

This initiative builds on the success of the CANPASS Private Aircraft Program established in June of 1996 to facilitate customs and immigration clearance for private aircraft owners and their families.

The CANPASS programs are part of the Canada-United States of America Accord on Our Shared Border, which is intended to promote trade, tourism, and travel between the two countries. These programs have been developed jointly by Revenue Canada and Citizenship and Immigration Canada to simplify customs and immigration clearance for low-risk travellers.

Additional information on the CANPASS Corporate Aircraft Program is included in the attached document.

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For information on how to register for the CANPASS Corporate Aircraft Program, or information about the CANPASS family of initiatives, please contact your local customs office. The local addresses and teephone numbers are listed under "Revenue Canada" in the Government of Canada section of the telephone book.

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