Canadian travelers will see a phased in requirement to carry passports in the next several years. In a multi-nation initiative to restrict illegal immigration and travel, a passport layer of stricter identification will be introduced for all travel between the tri-nations of Canada, the United States and Mexico by the year 2008.

The United States Department of Homeland Security announced the new rules Monday, requiring the use of passports by tri-nation citizens to cross into US borders.

Canadians aren't isolated either. Americans who can now leave the country without a passport if their destination does not require one, such as travel by land to Canada or Mexico, will need a passport to get back into the United States starting this December. Showing a driver's license or a government-issued photo ID card will no longer be sufficient for making the border crossing back.

“Both countries have accepted since Sept. 11 heightened use of documentation in border travel,” says one source. “(as) It's certainly something there has been increased acceptance about.”

Canadians are, however, still to be exempt from a U.S. policy of requiring foreign nations from visa requirements and fingerprinting. This is amid several years of heightened security around American border-control and a less than warm relationship between Canada and the United States.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the passport restrictions will help keep out "people who want to hurt us." Rice made a short trip on March 10 to meet with Mexican President, Vicente Fox, before leaving for her Far East tour. The meeting was to pave the way for a March 23 summit with President Fox and Canadian Prime Minister, Paul Martin, at President Bush's ranch in Texas. Issues concerning immigration, border security and water rights were discussed at the meeting. The summit was intended to produce a North American initiative that would strengthen security and economic ties.

The passport rules are a result of that summit.

The next phase begins a year later, where passports for air and sea travel to or from Mexico, Canada, the Caribbean and Bermuda will be required. The final phase involves to all air, sea and land border crossings, and goes into effect Dec 7, 2007.