March 23, 2005
Waco, Texas

Check against delivery

Good afternoon. It’s a real pleasure to be here in Texas and to stand with these two men as representatives of one North America, proud and strong.

President Bush, President Fox and I represent three sovereign nations that have formed one of the most successful partnerships in the world. As North Americans, we have many accomplishments to celebrate, but we also recognize that we cannot be complacent. The world is not standing still. New economic powerhouses such as China and India are rising. We face new opportunities, new threats, new challenges. Changing times demand a renewed partnership – stronger, more dynamic, a partnership focused on the future. We are determined to forge and ensure the next generation of our continent’s success. That is the destination. The Security and Prosperity Partnership that we are launching today is the roadmap.
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The Security and Prosperity Partnership is focused on finding practical ways to help our citizens live healthier, safer and more prosperous lives. It’s about good jobs and higher incomes, a more secure continent, cleaner water and cleaner air. And it’s about an understanding – an understanding that when we work together to make North America safer, more competitive, more prosperous, then we help the citizens of North America, all of them, to achieve a better quality of life. We all benefit from our collective achievement.

Our partnership recognizes that in today’s world, the objectives of prosperity, security and enhanced quality of life have never been more interrelated.

In terms of prosperity, we will increase the competitiveness of our industries and expand consumer choice by cutting red tape. We will eliminate regulations that are nuisance rather than necessity. And we will do this while maintaining the highest standards of health and safety for our citizens.

By pursuing agreed approaches to regulation based on sound science, we can help to avoid the risk of hidden protectionism as some advocate in responding to BSE. I want to thank President Bush and President Fox for the support they have shown Canada. We look forward to the day in the near future when, notwithstanding the legal challenges of individual lobby groups, all of North America is open to our safe, high-quality beef.

In terms of security, we understand that securing our borders is a crucial checkpoint on the road to our collective prosperity. Safe borders serve not only to secure our people against threats such as terror. They make possible the speedy flow of goods, services, people and information among our three nations -- leading to greater economic activity and better management of shared environmental and health challenges. Standing on the shoulders of the Smart Borders initiative, Canada is making major new investments in security and defence spending. We are a full and forceful partner in building a safe and secure North America.

Under this partnership, we have agreed to develop and to implement a North American cargo security strategy – a strategy that will ensure compatible and effective screening methods, both prior to departure from a foreign port and at the first point of entry. We will bolster our shared commitment to maritime security. And we have agreed to enhance partnerships on intelligence related to North America’s safety.

In terms of quality of life, our three countries have a shared responsibility for the environment of this continent and the health of its people. Infectious diseases and invasive species don’t carry passports. They don’t respect borders. So we as nations must work as one on such issues – whether it’s the spread of a contagion like SARS or a freshwater concern like Devils Lake. Under our partnership, we will develop common approaches to public health co-ordination, especially as it pertains to infectious disease surveillance, prevention and control. When a public health risk emerges, we want our laboratory centres in Atlanta and Winnipeg and Mexico City talking to one another. And we will improve air and water quality and develop cleaner and more efficient energy sources.

The Security and Prosperity Partnership will complement our efforts under NAFTA, which has been a great success, but we can make it work better. In particular, the decisions of dispute settlement panels need to be respected and implemented -- to resolve our differences in a fair and final manner, based on the rule of law. I will continue to press for a resolution of the softwood lumber dispute, and look forward to working through the other tables and mechanisms we’ve established to improve the functioning of the dispute settlement system.

The partnership among Canada, the United States and Mexico is important, for all three nations and for their people. That is why we have committed to meet in person on a regular basis to assess our progress, to address concerns and evaluate opportunities, to ensure that this partnership produces concrete, measurable results.

The efforts of the past decade have been successful. It now falls to us to respond to new challenges and seize new opportunities. The Security and Prosperity Partnership is our commitment to do so together as nations, as friends and as full partners in North America.