More customs facilities, in more places: Canada, U.S. plan expanded preclearance
WASHINGTON — Imagine clearing Canadian customs in Florida, Arizona, or Chicago, or having a U.S. customs facility attached to a car plant in Ontario, with the goal of helping people and cargo travel faster between the countries.
The Canadian and American governments are discussing it.
They have begun talking about expanding preclearance — with plans to discuss potential sites for the first-ever Canadian customs facilities inside the U.S., and the longer-term goal of applying it to commercial goods.
“You’ve got an administration on the American side and certainly on our side, that really want to move these files,” Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale said Monday, after his first face-to-face meeting with his new U.S. counterpart — Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen.