briefing on the Beyond the Border Declaration as well as the work of your group flowing from it. We understand that the information provided was at a conceptual level at this point, and that much remained open for negotiation. It is the intention of my Office to provide the Beyond The Border Working Group more detailed comment once your public consultation process recommences in May. However, given that the work is unfolding very quickly and the joint Privacy Protection Principles are already in development, we hoped to provide some initial thoughts on that important first step. International context Clearly, we understand the importance of facilitating trade and ensuring border security. Any review of measures or new initiatives to remove some of the barriers and delays many people now face in travelling would be welcome. At the same time, the Declaration also commits to the expansion of another agenda, namely an integrated approach to threat assessment in pursuit of collective security. As you know, global security measures taken over the past decade have had an impact on both privacy rights and freedom of mobility. Again, while safer travel and communities are an important goal of both the U.S. and Canada, we often differ over approach. For example, if traveller risk assessment or cross-border law enforcement is to be premised upon increased intelligence sharing, it is critically important that this be conducted in accordance with our national values and legal traditions, as underscored in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms ,