During a joint meeting of President Barack Obama's export council and Canadian business and trade officials in Windsor on June 28th, representatives of the Canadian auto, food and petroleum industries all called for an end to political wrangling and an immediate commitment to build the new crossing, despite the growing lobbying efforts of Ambassador Bridge owner Matty Moroun.

"We have heard throughout today's meetings that the key issues are the physical barriers at the border," said Stephanie Burns, chair-person of Dow Corning Corporation and a member of the council. "The consensus all day has been 'just get it done'- we will take that message back to Washington."

John Manley, president of the Canadian Council of Chief Executives which hosted the Windsor portion of the meeting, said if the export council wants to meet its goal of doubling its exports in the next five years, it needs to concentrate on its largest export partner.

"And that means improving the infrastructure at this border crossing," said Manley. 

Commerce Secretary Gary Locke released June 28 the 2011 National Export Strategy, which will be used to track and measure the federal government's progress in implementing President Obama's National Export Initiative. 

The Obama administration announced Tuesday a set of measurements to determine progress toward its plan to double exports by 2015.

The metrics -- covering a range of issues from overall export levels to the amount of credit going to support small businesses -- have long been demanded by lawmakers seeking to hold the administration accountable for its agency-wide effort to improve the competitiveness of U.S. companies seeking business overseas.

To help carriers and shippers prepare for eManifest requirements of the Advance Customs Information (ACI) program, the Canada Border Services Agency is offering a new online presentation to help explain to transporters what is expected from them. 

ACI requires trade partners in all modes to electronically transmit cargo, conveyance, crew/passenger, house bill / supplementary cargo and importer data to the CBSA prior to arrival at the border. 

 
For traders, the CBSA states that "eManifest will provide an improved commercial process that rewards compliance with predictable and expedited processing at the border."

Canada's new trade minister cautioned that the strong currency and growing competition from emerging economies could stall the country's export growth.

In his inaugural speech, Ed Fast promised quick action on the Conservative government's trade agenda, including signing free trade
agreements with the European Union and India, deepening ties with the USA and penetrating new markets in Asia.

But he added that a number of  "competitiveness challenges" remain.
"If we're not careful those competitive challenges will become our Achilles' Heel," he said.

Fast, a lawyer and MP for Abbotsford, B.C., was appointed trade minister after the Conservatives won a majority in the last election.

Korea has agreed to import Canadian beef products with the first shipment expected late this year. In return, Canada is set to drop its complaint with the World Trade Organization (WTO).

The Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said  that Asia's No. 4 economy will resume imports of Canadian beef, ending an eight-year ban generated by mad-cow disease outbreaks in Canada in 2003.

Canada filed the WTO complaint against Korea in early 2009 as the latter did not lift an import ban on its beef products even after it earned a positive controlled-risk status over BSE in 2007 from the World Organization for Animal Health.

Should Seoul resume imports within the next 12 months the WTO action has to be dropped.

The European Union and the United States have signed a collaboration agreement that aims to improve the security of global supply chains.

The statement calls for the implementation of mutual recognition of EU and U.S. trade partnership programs and sharing risk information, as well as recognition wherever possible of each other's transport security controls. 

Border inefficiencies and duplicative regulations are placing American as well as Canadian companies at a major competitive disadvantage, according to Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters (CME).

In a recent meeting with President Barack Obama's Export Council and representatives from the Canadian Council of Chief Executives, CME President & CEO Jayson Myers emphasized the importance of making real and rapid progress in implementing a new action plan to improve perimeter security and enhance border efficiency.

CME has highlighted six priorities the association believes should be addressed as part of the new border vision outlined by the President and Prime Minister Harper last February.

CME's recommendations include strengthening trusted trader programs, harmonizing information requirements and reporting processes across government departments, and expediting entry procedures for business travellers.    

"The US is not just Canada's largest trading partner; it is the nucleus of a highly integrated supply chain," Myers explains. "Goods travel across the border several times before a finished product can be sold, which adds compliance costs for job creators in both Canada and the United States, increases costs for governments, and ultimately raises prices for consumers."

CME, in conjunction with the Businesses for Better Borders (B3) coalition, is taking a leading role in coordinating industrial support in both Canada and the United States for action on a new border plan. A formal announcement introducing a joint strategy is expected later this summer.

"These are very timely discussions for American and Canadian manufacturers alike, and will shape the economic cooperation agenda between our two countries," says Myers. "We must work closely with government and do everything we can to remove barriers to export growth and ensure the continued stability of the economic recovery."

Learn more about the six recommendations set out by CME members and the B3 coalition here. The plan is also backed by more than 40 industry associations comprising the Canadian Manufacturing Coalition.

Steven Fletcher, Canada's Minister of State for Transport, attended a gala opening of the new Blue Water Bridge corporate centre on June 27th, calling it a boon to border crossing efficiency. 

The $70-million centre in Point Edward is the new home for bridge personnel, the Canada Border Services Agency, customs brokers, and Canadian Food Inspection Agency.

"Simply put, this bridge is super-duper important," Fletcher said. "That's not what it says in my notes, but it's the current lingo.
Our government saw the potential and knew more could be done to reduce border congestion," he added.

The five-story building has state-of-the-art technology and provides much more space for border services to do its job, said Rick Comerford, regional director general for Canada Border Services Agency.

Improvements to the Canadian Plaza are the result of a joint effort by the Government of Canada and Blue Water Bridge Canada, each of which has contributed up to $10 million to this major project. The work involved widening the plaza to accommodate the widening of Highway 402. It also included constructing new Canada Border Services Agency inspection booths and installing a dynamic messaging system to provide real-time information to commercial and passenger traffic.

The Canadian half of the Blue Water Bridge is owned and operated by Blue Water Bridge Canada, a federal Crown corporation. With approximately 5,000 commercial vehicles crossing the bridge daily, it is Canada's second-busiest international commercial crossing for trucks and is the third busiest for total vehicles. This crossing is a key component of the Ontario-Quebec Continental Gateway and Trade Corridor. 

Shipping giant Maersk Line will begin implementing a global system to start charging shippers who book container space but then never send the actual cargo.  

John Nielsen, Maersk Line's senior director for charge management, network and product, said the program is not designed to be a revenue-earner for the line.

 
"We're calling this loading protection, because we wanted to signal that this was not another fee we slammed on customers," he said. "The idea is to offer a two-way street, a quid pro quo with customers. We compensate them if we mess up their plans."

 
The issue, Nielsen said, is severe, with a global average of 20 percent no-shows, or downfalls as they're more often called in the industry. On some trades, downfall rates reach as high as 35 to 40 percent.

 
"The intent is not to punish, it's to change behavior," Nielsen said. "It seems to be a standard practice in the industry for there to be downfalls. On the other side of the coin, if we ask for compensation for customers, it's only fair that we compensate customers if their cargo is held."

 
The no-show fee will be $100 per dry container and $500 per reefer if the booking is not canceled seven days prior to sailing.  
 
"We wanted a fee that is not punitive but one that is noticeable," Nielsen said. "It's a fee you would like to avoid," said Neilsen. "Again, it's about trying to change behavior. Everybody agrees there is a massive problem. If this is a problem, let's do something about it. But we will step forward slowly and carefully."

 
The program will be rolled out trade-by-trade from the third quarter, with Maersk concentrating initially on trades where downfall rates are high and demand is strong (to minimize the effect of customers leaving to use other carriers).