While the US and Canada are distinctly separate sovereign nations, their security and economic interests coincide and are realistically interconnected. In today's global economy, our two countries are experiencing a deepening reality of economic integration.Confidence and trust in each other are key elements in the US-Canada relationship. Common sense and economic reality dictate that are in this together. Managing our shared effectively and beneficially to satisfy the needs of both countries continues to be crucial and a measurable segment in defining the state of affairs.The US-Canada two-way trade flows are strong and vigorous; USCanada relations are mature and solid in the vast majority of activities (not withstanding such troubles as BSE and softwood lumber); and the USCanada economic fundamentals are excellent.It is essential to insure that the management of our shared keeps pace. Canada and the US jointly must avoid and prevent our shared from becoming a barrier causing related costs detrimental to our joint and separate global competitiveness.Current events and very real threats dictate that Canada and the US have to act to protect and preserve their national quality of life. Success would be best served by deepening cooperation and understanding while respecting each other as separate sovereign nations.The sea change resulting from 9/11 continues to make security issues a primary necessity. This reality is permanent. However, a fortress mentality must be avoided. Secretary Tom Ridge of the Department of Homeland Security noted [Reasonable risk through risk management results in maintaining a vibrant economy.1 Security can be achieved while, at the same time, re-engineering the management process to ensure the facilitation of known low-risk goods and people with less delay than ever achieved prior to 9/11.Make no mistake that there will be major changes in the way Canada and the US do business at the border. Since human nature tends to resist change, there will be some negative reactions. Currently, misinformation, rumours, and faulty prognostications cause confusion and unnecessary counterproductive concerns including baseless negativity. It is, therefore, important to note that the endgame is to construct a secure and tradeefficient Canada/US border.Canada and the US must determine factually what our common threats are and locate where they originate, while continuing to develop a joint plan for the use of both our countries' combined strategic resources. The vision of how best to manage our shared will then become clearer.One of these joint plans is the border 32-point plan. The 14 October 2004 Canada-US smart declaration and action plan backgrounder states:The Declaration is founded on the principal that national security and economic security are not competing objectives. The vision is not to take the back to September 10, 2001, but to develop a 2is* century that advances both facilitation and security. Effective risk management is central to achieving this vision. The U.S. and Canada agreed to work to develop a Smart Border-one where we could identify and expedite low risk people and goods, and focus our resources on higher risk traffic.Most of the specific recommendations previously made by the Canadian/American trade alliance (Can/Am BTA) to streamline and improve the crossing process have been incorporated into the 32-point plan.The smart declaration and 32-point plan for the Canada/US have been signed. Implementation of the plan has been achieved, or is well underway, for all but two points.Currently the crossing process is morphing from two separate/different processes to parallel to harmonized to joint and, one hopes, on to one integrated process. There is a long-standing, very successful model in the US-Canada military defence relationship from which to learn, i. …