Senator Michael Balboni recently joined experts in international business and security to discuss preserving trade while keeping terrorists from crossing the US-Canada border. Balboni, one of New York's leading experts on terrorism, was invited to participate in the summit, entitled "Canada-US Border Security in the Next Four Years: What Can We Expect?"

"Canada is the number one trading partner for New York and the United States, and it's important that border security initiatives strike a balance between restricting terrorists' movement and allowing the flow of legitimate goods between the two countries," he said.

Balboni chairs the New York State Senate Committee on veterans, homeland security and military affairs, and is an authority on New York's and the U.S. government's efforts to secure the international border shared by Canada and the United States.

He told summit attendees that the biggest challenge both countries face is enhancing security of the shared border without disrupting travel and trade, since more than 200 million travelers cross the border each year and the US-Canada trading relationship is the largest in the world.

He also discussed security initiatives by the federal Department of Homeland Security (which is responsible for immigration and border security) and the state Office of Homeland Security, and the cooperative efforts between the US, New York State and Canada.

"There's a real willingness on the part of both countries to make the borders safer, and so far they have been cooperating closely in this regard. At the same time, with an ever-increasing amount of commerce taking place between the two countries, we have to ensure that our combined efforts at securing the border do not create bottlenecks to our shared prosperity," Balboni said.