Canada´s Ambassador to Washington Lashes Out At U.S. Passport Plan for Canadian Citizens

Canada´s ambassador predicted Monday that the United States would drop a controversial proposal that would require all travelers to show passports in order to cross the long border between the neighboring nations

Discussions with the Bush administration, which introduced guidelines to crack down on potential terrorist travel across borders, indicates that "passports will not be the ultimate requirements," Canadian Ambassador Frank McKenna said in an interview.

Currently, U.S. and Canadian travelers need only driver´s licenses to cross their common border, although passports are often shown.

Requiring passports, which only 20 percent of Americans have, "would bring about a sea change," McKenna said. "And it´s become clear to me that both sides of the border think it would be a very damaging change. This would cause real havoc to the economy."

Canada is the largest U.S. trading partner, with $1.2 billion worth of goods crossing the border daily.