Washington D.C. – The American Automotive Policy Council (AAPC) joined with other leaders of the North American manufacturing industry to applaud the announcement by President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Stephen Harper that the United States and Canada will work to improve economic competitiveness, commercial efficiency and security across our shared northern border.
AAPC President Matt Blunt said today’s joint announcement by President Obama and Prime Minister Harper “demonstrates a commitment to enhancing the competitiveness of manufacturers in a way that encourages economic expansion and job growth for both countries.”
“Trading across the U.S.–Canadian border is crucial to each of our economies, so a cross-border collaboration ensuring efficient regulations and secure border operations is vital,” said Blunt. “Since we rely on each other’s markets to support millions of jobs and to produce products that can compete in global markets, it’s important we harmonize border operations between the U.S. and Canada in a way that enhances our global competitiveness.”
Blunt emphasized the importance of a harmonized system of border operations by citing the costs of cross-border movement of production parts on auto manufacturers.
“Parts from a car manufactured here will cross the shared U.S.-Canada border six times before the finished product is sold to a consumer in either market,” Blunt said. “This can add several hundred dollars per vehicle to the cost of assembly and adversely impacts our ability to compete in the global marketplace.”
Blunt believes, however, today’s joint announcement shows both governments are working collaboratively to advance improvements on border trade.
“Today’s announcement is a great step towards helping reduce trade barriers on manufacturers and boost economic competitiveness.
Governor Blunt, a steering committee member of Businesses for a Better Border (B3) traveled to Canada in May to advocate for border modernization that would provide safer, faster manufacturing trade between the United States and Canada. B3 provides advice to both governments on policies for perimeter security, regulatory compliance and economic competitiveness.