I don’t know how you feel about the Coast Guard conducting live-fire exercises on the Great Lakes, or about Blackhawk helicopters and interceptor jets patrolling the U.S.- Canadian border out west.
Frankly, I blame Boston for this silliness.
Here’s why. Right after September 11, both Boston newspapers, the Globe and the Herald, had stories saying that most or all of the hijackers had slipped into the country through Canada. Other newspapers picked this up, and within days the usually sensible Christian Science Monitor was reporting Canada had become a “haven for terrorists.” But this was all nonsense.
None of it was true. None of the terrorists came through Canada at all. The newspapers printed retractions. That is to say, they admitted they were wrong in tiny type on an inside page. But ever since, people have been repeating this totally false story.
The fact is, both our countries needed to tighten up security. A high-ranking diplomat told me in 2002 that the terrorists probably could have gotten in through Canada if they had wanted to. Yet Canada was, and is, more than willing to work with us. Our two countries have had a profoundly close relationship since World War II, a relationship as close as any two sovereign countries have ever had.
Our economies are virtually inseparable, especially between Michigan and Ontario. Canada has no interest in giving aid or comfort to any of our enemies, and nothing to gain from doing so. Canada is a highly technologically sophisticated modern nation, fully capable of assessing their security needs, and we need to trust them to do so. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t cooperate and share information with each other. We absolutely should. Sometimes we do. There has been excellent cooperation between federal agents and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police who have been working together to intercept drug smugglers between British Columbia and Washington State. They do their thing, we do ours, and we keep each other posted on our parallel investigations.
Yet Washington doesn’t seem to get it, and too often treats Canada as if it were some inferior and unreliable nation from the developing world. This is highly insulting to Canada, and undeserved. And, it makes very little sense. Think about it. How likely is it that terrorists are going to come into this country through Canada? We have far more international airports and seaports.
We have a vast border with Mexico, whose own borders are porous and whose teeming millions include many people who don’t like us. Apart from us, Canada borders permafrost and glaciers. Do you really think we’re in danger of hordes of al-Qaeda terrorists surging over the polar ice cap? Here’s what I think. I have been paying attention to U.S.-Canada relations for more than 25 years.
I have never seen so much unwarranted distrust and bad behavior on the part of our government towards our best international friend. And that must make Osama bin Laden very happy.
Thank you, thank you, thank you.
I am a Canadian who resides (legally)in Michigan, with my American husband and dual citizen sons. We were pleased to hear your comments on Canada/US relations and couldn't agree more on the negative current state. Almost everyone in my Candian family has decided to no longer vacation in the US because of the intimidation hassle they face at the border. These are good law abiding working people who would rather spend their money in a country that welcomes them.
I had almost given up hope on the Amercian people, but the fact that they went to the polls and gave a resounding thumbs down to the current administrations policies and hearing a commentary like yours, reminds me to have faith that the American citizens are better than Washington.
Posted by: Fiona Wiliams | November 11, 2006 at 08:50 AM
Bravo, Jack. This is a terrible thing we're doing to our northern neighbors.
I have a link on Absolute Michigan (click my name) to a MSNBC piece on what this is doing to Windsor. For my own part, I go to Ontario once or twice a year and I have to confess that the annoyance factor at the border enters (in a small way at least) my calculations of where to go.
Posted by: Andy McFarlane | November 12, 2006 at 01:34 PM