Government Relations Report Jim Sherb First Vice-President In 2013, after a great deal of work on the part of the association, the Florida law requiring foreign drivers to possess an International Driving Permit (IDP) in order to legally operate a motor vehicle was officially repealed. Almost immediately following this victory, we learned that we were facing a similar problem in the state of Georgia. According to the Georgia Department of Driver Services: “Non-U.S. citizens holding a valid foreign driver’s license are allowed to drive in the state of Georgia for tourism or business purposes. If the foreign license is not printed in English the driver must have an International Driving Permit (IDP) or similar translation issued in accordance with the provision of the Convention on Road Traffic, any similar treaty, international agreement, or reciprocal agreement between the United States and a foreign nation. Non-U.S. citizens must obtain an IDP from their home country prior to coming to the U.S.” So what is an International Driving Permit? Essentially, it is simply an English translation of a foreign licence. The intent is to assist local law enforcement officers in determining whether a person is legally operating a motor vehicle. Obviously, if you can’t read the licence, that is going to create all sorts of problems. Economic arguments resonate strongly with elected officials and we were hopeful that they would be helpful in obtaining an exemption for Quebec snowbirds. We had many discussions with Georgia officials and it took a great deal of work, but I am pleased to announce that we were ultimately successful. As of January 1, 2017, the requirement for non-English driver’s licence holders to possess an International Driving Permit while operating a vehicle in the state of Georgia will be rescinded. From this point on, Georgia will only require Quebec travellers to present their passport and provincial driver’s licence if prompted. Again, I appreciate that this is not a perfect solution prior to 2017 but, once it is implemented, it should provide a permanent solution to the problem. On behalf of the CSA, I would like to thank Georgia State Representative and Chairman of the Motor Vehicles Committee Tom Rice and Georgia State Representative Valerie Clark. Without their assistance, this would not have happened. I would also like to thank the CSA’s Director of Francophone Affairs Jim Leroux for pushing hard to get this resolved. On April 19, 2016, Manitoba voters went to the polls and elected a Progressive Conservativemajority government, thus ending 17 years of NewDemocratic Party government rule. We will give Premier Brian Pallister and his government a little time to get to know their way around and then we will be knocking on their door in short order. On April 1, 2013, as a result of our advocacy efforts, the Manitoba government increased the length of time for which residents may be temporarily absent fromManitoba to a maximum of seven months in a 12-month period. This extensionmadeManitoba the fourth province in Canada to permit absences of up to seven months. That was a big win for us and we are grateful to the previous NDP government for taking our concerns seriously and making this change. Unfortunately, Manitobans who wish to be away for longer than three months still need to inform the government of their expected dates of departure and return. Upon this notification, they will receive a term certificate confirming coverage from Manitoba Health. Manitoba is the only province in Canada that requires residents to make such a notification. It’s a real irritant and we hope to get this resolved with the incoming government. While summer is a time for many of us to concentrate less on politics, CSA staff members are hard at work putting together the sixth edition ofThe Canadian Travellers’ Report Card. This publication is a national evaluation of federal, provincial and territorial government policies of importance to travelling Canadians. We research these policies and then give each government an opportunity to comment on our work before it is published. After receiving this feedback, we retain an independent consultant to evaluate our findings and assign a grade to each category. The final report is then made available to our members, governments throughout Canada and the media. It is a very important tool which we employ when we sit down with our elected officials and we strive to keep it as current and relevant as possible. Look for its release at Snowbird Extravaganza in January of 2017. Have a safe and relaxing summer. CSANews | SUMMER 2016 | 11
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