U.S. Homeland Security secretary visiting Ottawa next week, says Marc Garneau

U.S. HomelandSecurity SecretaryJohn Kellyis coming to Ottawa next Friday to meet with Liberal cabinet ministers.

Transportation Minister Marc Garneau, who serves aschair of the cabinet committee on Canada-U.S. relations, told CBC Radio's The House thatKelly will make a presentation andfield questions from the committee.

"I think he wants to come and find out what are the security related issues, domestic, that are important to Canada, and we'll certainly havean opportunity to listen to him," he told host Chris Hall.

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Garneau said a number of ministers, including himself, will also have one-on-one talks with the retired general.

Kelly and Public Safety Minister RalphGoodalealreadytalked on the phone earlier this week, whereGoodaleasked for help dealing with the issue of asylum seekers crossing illegally into Canada, sources told CBC News.

Garneau said he'll raise the issue of cargo pre-clearance with Kelly, to help make crossings more efficient at the border.

"So, looking at the possibility of pilot projects, where products on their way to the other country are pre-cleared away from the border so that when the trucks and the trains get to the border they can pass through even more efficiently," he said.

Garneau said his U.S. counterpart, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao, will make a trip north at the end of the month.

A number of Liberal cabinet ministers, including Foreign Affairs Minister ChrystiaFreeland and Finance Minister Bill Morneau,have made the trek to Washington to meet their U.S. counterparts since January's inauguration.

Now, "the traffic is beginning to occur in both directions," Garneau said.