OTTAWA, Ont. — U.S. officials have assured Canadian foreign affairs minister, Bill Graham, that all Canadian passport holders would be treated equally.

The United States National Security Entry Exit Registration System (NSEERS) required all non-immigrants to the U.S. born in Iran, Iraq, Libya, Sudan and Syria to be fingerprinted and photographed at the border regardless of Canadian citizenship. Recently, it was announced that this process would include Canadian citizens born in Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Yemen.

This alarmed Canadian Trucking Alliance president, David Bradley, because a significant number of Pakistani-Canadians are truck drivers and this would not only have a toll on human terms but would also create border congestion and a shortage of drivers crossing into the U.S.

Now, these Canadians will not be required to register at the border unless there is some reason other than birthplace to raise security concerns.

Canadian and U.S. officials are currently working out the details under NSEERS to minimize the impact on Canadian citizens.