The Economist’s Gulliver reports that Canada’s Automated Border Clearance program has been expanded to Montreal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport (YUL), with installation of 18 machines. It was previously tested at Vancouver International Airport (YVR) during the 2010 Winter Olympics.
Photo by abdallahh
Anyone who has struggled with automated checkout machines at supermarkets, or angrily waited behind people who cannot operate them, knows that automated is not necessarily faster, but good news to try this out.
The system is open to holders of Canadian passports and permanent resident cards, they still need to fill out a declaration card, but in other respects it operates similarly to Global Entry in the US.
Similarities to Global Entry:
- Open to citizens and permanent residents
- Automated kiosks
Differences from Global Entry:
- No registration form
- No registration fee
- No registration interview
- No renewal form
- No renewal fee
Hmmm…must be socialist terror like their health care. No wonder French-speaking Quebec is leading the expansion. The US better keep its hassle, fees, and limited access or it wouldn’t seem like an ideologically safe market solution. (yes, this paragraph is sarcasm)
I rather pay twice and get lesser healthcare than pay less and get better healthcare. I get to chose my doctor and don’t have to wait for my liposuction. Didn’t you hear stories about bears snatching away Canadian’s while waiting in line for their hip replacement surgeries?
Your sarcasm escapes me. You are comparing two socialist govt programs, so how does the “market solution” reference fit in?
@Greek2me – yes, they are both government programs, but Global Entry follows the fad for market-esque solutions, requiring taxpayers to pay additional fees to participate, and partnering with private companies (airlines and credit card issuers) to promote the program rather than making the program no additional charge to travelers (who are already paying taxes on their tickets among their regular taxes) and just trying to make immigration a cost and time-efficient overall process.
Thanks for the reply. Yep, the true market solution would be for inefficient government agencies to return such services to private entities that will be accountable for their performance and forced to compete, thus providing much better and lower cost service.