U.S.-Canada Preclearance Projects Set to Move Forward
by Marsha Mowers
The Canadian Association of Tour Operators say the new U.S. tariffs could be disastrous.
Canada and the United States say two long-planned preclearance projects are moving ahead this year, despite earlier comments that raised questions about the future of the program.
U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra suggested last fall that Washington might need to reconsider preclearance operations amid declining Canadian travel to the United States. However, the U.S. Embassy in Ottawa later said preclearance remains a critical part of U.S. border strategy, with staffing and resources continually assessed to meet operational needs.
Preclearance allows travellers to complete U.S. border inspections before departure, speeding entry and connections while helping authorities intercept security threats earlier. The U.S. currently operates preclearance facilities at eight major Canadian airports and a ferry terminal in Prince Rupert, B.C. More than 16 million travellers were precleared from Canada in the year ending Sept. 30, 2024.
One of the projects is at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, where a new U.S. preclearance facility is complete and undergoing training and testing. Operations are expected to begin by spring, enabling Air Canada to launch new daily routes to New York, Boston, Washington, and Chicago.
Air Canada announced last fall that it will expand service from Billy Bishop this year, introducing new daily flights to four U.S. cities—New York, Boston, Washington, and Chicago—made possible largely by the addition of U.S. preclearance at the airport.
A second project—Canada’s first preclearance operation in the United States at Cannon Corners, N.Y. on the border with Quebec, about 80 kilometres south of Montreal.has been delayed as final policies and infrastructure adjustments are completed. Montreal’s central rail station and Quebec City’s airport have been mentioned as possible sites for U.S. preclearance operations.
According to the Canadian Press, an internal Public Safety briefing note prepared last year said there are several other locations in Canada where preclearance “could realistically be established” within the next five years.
The note, obtained through the Access to Information Act, listed five possible preclearance locations: Vancouver’s central rail station; the cruise terminal at Canada Place in Vancouver; the Belleville ferry terminal in Victoria; a possible new rail station in Windsor, Ont., across from Detroit; and the port of entry at Lacolle, Que.
