Professional Affiliation

Director, Border Policy Research Institute, Western Washington University

Expert Bio

Dr. Laurie Trautman is the Director of the Border Policy Research Institute at Western Washington University. She engages in a range of research on the US - Canada border, particularly in the Cascadia region. Topics include trade, transportation, human mobility, and security. In addition to working with faculty and students, she collaborates with the private sector and government agencies to advance policy solutions that improve border efficiencies and strengthen the region. Laurie participates in a number of working groups focused on cross-border collaboration, including the Pacific Northwest Economic Region, the International Mobility and Trade Corridor Program, the Canada - US Transportation Border Working Group, and was recently appointed to the steering committee of the Cascadia Innovation Corridor.

Wilson Center Project

Canada - U.S. Border Policy in the Post Beyond the Border Era

Project Summary

The last major agreement governing Canada - U.S. border policy, the Beyond the Border Accord (BtB), was signed by Prime Minister Harper and President Obama in 2011. The BtB provided a strong governing framework that guided Canada – U.S. border policy towards a ‘perimeter’ approach and supported the implementation of efforts such as pre-clearance expansion, trusted traveler/trader programs, and Entry/Exit. The overarching policy framework of BtB, which focused on a shared approach to security, has yet to be embraced or replaced by the Trump Administration. In the absence of a guiding federal framework, a concerted effort to drive a new era of border policy is increasingly being shaped by stakeholders both regionally and in the private sector, in collaboration with practitioners and government agencies. This project assesses the progress and trajectory of a new era of Canada – U.S. border policy, which has major implications for one of the largest trading relationships in the world.

https://wp.wwu.edu/bpri/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurie-trautman-b663718a/

Major Publications

Trautman, Laurie and Mary Moeller. 2019. The Role of the Border and Border Policies in Efforts to Combat Human Trafficking: A Case Study of the Cascadia Region of the U.S. – Canada Border. In Winterdyk, John and Jackie Jones (Eds.), The Palgrave International Handbook of Human Trafficking. Palgrave Macmillan.

Trautman, Laurie. 2018. Cannabis in Cascadia: Impacts of Legalization in the Region. Border Policy Brief, Volume 13 (Winter). https://cedar.wwu.edu/bpri_publications/110/.

Storer, Paul, David Davidson, and Laurie Trautman. 2015. Washington State’s Economy in Relation to Canada and the Border. Special Report (June). Border Policy Research Institute. https://cedar.wwu.edu/bpri_publications/92/.