B.C. and Washington State call for passport delay until after Olympics

[tuvor]

VICTORIA (CP) - The British Columbia and Washington State governments called for the delay Tuesday of proposed U.S. passport security requirements until at least after the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

The B.C. and Washington governments sent a joint letter to U.S. President George Bush and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper calling for the delay of the proposed passport requirements for re-entry into the United States.

B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell and members of his cabinet met with Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire and members of her cabinet in Vancouver. Campbell said it was the first time in 117 years the neighbours held a joint cabinet-level meeting.

"No current issue impacts our mutual economy, both Washington State's and British Columbia's, as much as the passport requirement that is being proposed under the U.S. Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative," he said.

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