No documents? No entry to U.S.
If you plan on skiing in northern New England or doing a little cross-border shopping in Plattsburgh...

Friday Jan 18, 2008 Canadaby Refugee ruling to be appealed
A Federal Court judge has formally struck down a controversial refugee pact with the United States, ...

2007

Friday Dec 21, 2007 U.S. Canadaby delays passport requirement
The U.S. Congress yesterday gave final approval to legislation forcing the Bush administration to delay...

Tuesday 18 December 2007
WASHINGTON: CONGRESS WANTS DELAY OF PASSPORT REQUIREMENT AT BORDER
The U.S. Congress wants to delay the implementation of the requirement that travellers entering the U.S. by land or sea must show a passport starting this summer. A major spending bill that is to be voted on this week would delay implementation until no earlier than June 1, 2009. Legislators says they want to avoid the rush to obtain American passports which led to a huge backlog and even prevented some would-be vacationers from taking the vacations they had planned. The Bush administration says it intends to go ahead as planned. The Canadian government has lobbied against the plan on the grounds that it will hurt tourism and trade. Several weeks ago, the U.S. homeland security department said it would also accepted enhanced driver's licences as adequate identification at the border.

Sunday 09 December 2007 TORONTO: ONTARIO ALREADY DISTRIBUTING HIGH-TECH DRIVER'S LICENCE
Ontario Transportation Minister Jim Bradley has announced that his department began on Thursday to distribute high-technology, secure driver's licences. Mr. Bradley says that the government hopes that within a year it will receive permission from the federal government to encrypt citizenship data that will induce the U.S. to accept the new licence as proper ID for travellers crossing into the U.S. by land and sea. The licence is also designed to prevent identity theft. The half-dozen security features include a second photo, raised lettering of the licence number and a barcode. The document conforms with standards developed by the American Association of Motor Transport Administrators.

Friday 07 December 2007 TORONTO: PROVINCE TO UNVEIL HIGH-TECH DRIVER'S LICENCE
The Canadian Press reports that Ontario Transportation Minister Jim Bradley will on Friday reveal a new, more secure driver's licence that can be used as an alternative to a passport when crossing the U.S. border. Government source told the agency that the new document will have at least six new security features and will be issued to every driver when licences are renewed. The new features are designed to make them harder to tamper with and will prevent identity theft. U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said last month that enhanced drivers will be accepted as valid ID for travellers crossing from Canada into the U.S.

Thursday 06 December 2007 MONTREAL: ACCESS TO U.S. EASED FOR QUEBEC RESIDENTS
A new high-tech driver's licence is expected to make it easier for resident in the eastern Canadian province of Quebec to drive into the United States. The new enhanced licence will include a memory chip giving U.S. border guards encrypted information. The deal for the new licence was signed by Premier Jean Charest and Vermont Gov. Jim Douglas. Last month, the U.S. homeland security department said it would accept enhanced licences as a form of identification for crossing the border beginning in 2009. That's when the U.S. has said Canadians must use special licences or passports to cross into the United States.

Monday Dec 3, 2007 OTTAWA: UNEXPECTED COSTS FOR ARMING BORDER GUARDS
The Canadian government will have to spend more money than it initially thought to arm the country's border guards. Arming guards was part of an election campaign promise by the minority Conservative Party to increase security of the Canadian border. But a new government survey shows that finding work for guards who cannot, or will not, carry guns will cost Ottawa $25 million over the next eleven years. Training guards began this summer. Some have already been posted at high security border crossings with the United States. In all, 4,800 armed guards will be deployed at border stations over the next ten years.

Tuesday 20 November 2007 OTTAWA: U.S. BORDER PROCEDURES QUESTIONED
Canada's minister of public safety, Stockwell Day, is calling for a review of U.S. border policy to cover emergency situations. In one incident, a Canadian heart attack victim was being rushed to a hospital in Detroit for treatment. But U.S. customs officials stopped and delayed the ambulance at the border. In another example, volunteer firefighters from the province of Quebec were trying to cross the border to help a small town fire department in northern New York state put out a fire. They were delayed at the border while U.S. officials questioned their identification documents. The building in New York burned to the ground.

18 November 2007 OTTAWA: MINISTER REJOICES OVER BORDER ID DECISION
Canadian Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day has greeted the news that the U.S. will accept enhanced driver's licences as identification at the border for travellers entering the U.S. by land or sea instead of passports alone. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff made the announcement on Thursday. Mr. Day says he wants to see the final rules for the implementation of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative before commenting further, but advises Canadians to get passports anyway, just in case. Ottawa and the provinces had been lobbying for months for the enhanced passports to be accepted, Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia are already working to develop models.

Fri 16/11/2007 WASHINGTON: U.S. TO ACCEPT ENHANCED DRIVER'S LICENCE AS BORDER ID
Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff has confirmed that enhanced driver's licences will be accepted as identification for crossing the border from Canada into the U.S. Canada's federal and provincial governments have been lobbying for the acceptance of enhanced driver's licences for months. The homeland security department's original plan required the presentation of a passport, which the Canadians have claimed would have been harmful to tourism and trade. The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative is to go into effect by land and sea next summer.

Thursday 15 November 2007 WASHINGTON: CANADA PRESSES U.S. ON BORDER DELAYS
Canadian Ambassador Michael Wilson has suggested that the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency review its security measures to reduce unnecessary delays. He told a trade seminar sponsored by the agency that idling trucks on both sides of the border don't improve security. Mr. Wilson also warned that the benefits of each country's industrial plants being in geographic proximity are negated when fees are clapped several times on the same parts as they're shipped back and forth. Auto industry experts say that industry expects waits for trucks between 20 and 30 minutes and that each additional hour of waiting costs $432,000 for Canadian parts going to U.S. plants and almost twice as much for the opposite direction. Mr. Wilson says there's something wrong when it's cheaper to ship 4,000 cars from halfway around the world than to send eight on a truck over the Peace Bridge linking Windsor, ON, and Detroit, MI.

Sunday 11 November 2007 OTTAWA: MORE FOREIGNERS EXPELLED
The Canadian Border Services Agency reports that is expelling increasing numbers at the border. The latest agency report for the year says that 12,600 foreigners were forbidden entry in 2005, a record and 38 per cent more than were prevented from entering in 2001. Of those forbidden entry in the former year, 16 per cent were found to have criminal records. Most of the others were foreigners who were refused the right to request refugee status.

Thursday Nov 8, 2007 Dollar's flight keeps new car parked without a country
more see w-n SUV

Monday 05 November 2007 TORONTO: CANADIANS STILL PUZZLED BY PASSPORT RULES
A new public opinion poll shows that confusion exists among Canadians about the documents needed to enter the United States. This year, the United States began requiring Canadians to show passports when entering the country by air. But the Harris-Decima poll shows that one in two Canadians thinks a passport is needed to enter the U.S. by sea, and one in three believe a passport is necessary at land border crossings. Two in three Canadians were sure that they were aware of current U.S. regulations. The survey also shows that four in ten Canadians do not have a valid Canadian passport. The province with the highest percentage of passport holders is Ontario. Alberta has the smallest percentage.

Wednesday 31 October 2007 OTTAWA: FEDERAL WATCHDOG FIND BORDER POROUS
Canada's Auditor General, Sheila Fraser has released her annual report on how the government's policies are being implemented and on government misspending.This year the report targets the Canada Border Services Agency for allowing potentially dangerous people and goods to slip into the country. It says that earlier this year, immigration and customs agents failed to take a closer look at numerous travellers and shipments flagged on lookout lists as possible risks. Each year Canadian border officers allow 96 million people into Canada and approve entry of over $400 billion worth of goods. Ms. Fraser also raises concerns about the licensing of military doctors and the billing practices of civilian physicians contracted to the defence department. She says that defence officials have admitted they do not know if unlicenced practitioners are currently providing direct patient care.

Tuesday 30 October 2007 WASHINGTON: U.S. CLAIMED TO ACCEPT DRIVERS' LICENSE IN LIEU OF PASSPORT
The president of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce claims that the U.S. homeland security department has finally accepted the idea of allowing an enhanced driver's license that denotes citizenship as ID for border crossing. According to Perrin Beatty, the Americans no longer refer to an experiment at several border crossings between British Columbia and the state of Washington as a pilot project but rather as a "prototype." The governments of Ontario and several other provinces have campaigned for the enhanced licenses as valid ID at the border instead of the requirement by the U.S. starting as early as this summer for travellers or returning Americans to present passports at the border. But Mr. Beatty complains that although the Americans have accepted the principle of the enhanced drivers' licenses, they're not collaborating with Canada on the creation of their technology.

Tuesday 23 October 2007 HALIFAX: U.S. ENVOY DEFENDS PROPOSED AIRLINE SECURITY REQUIREMENT
U.S. Ambassador David Wilkins has defended his government's proposal that Canadian airlines provide passenger information for flights passing through American airspace but not landing in the U.S. Mr. Wilkins says Washington "will listen" to Canadian complaints but that for his part he thinks it's a good idea. The ambassador says he has no objection to information being passed about his fellow passengers on a flight and thinks most people would agree with him. Mr. Wilkins says he hopes the new policy can be implemented without inconveniencing passengers. The Air Transport Association of Canada objects to the proposal, pointing out that Canadian airlines already screen passengers against a Canadian "no-fly" list. Airlines and tour operators also object because they would have to assign staff to collect the data and would be forced to ensure that their computer software is compatible with U.S. systems to communicate them.

Sunday Oct 21, 2007 Tighter Border Delays Re-entry by U.S. Citizens
The increased enforcement is in part a dress rehearsal for new rules, scheduled to take effect in January, that will require Americans to show a passport or other proof of citizenship to enter the United States. The requirements were approved by Congress as part of antiterrorism legislation in 2004.

Cross at the border: Canadian shoppers steamed
CALGARY -- Canadan shoppers bargain hunting south of the border for big-ticket items are seeing a growing number of roadblocks erected in front of them.
As the rising loonie makes shopping in America cheaper by the day, some dealers have been ordered not to do business with Canadians.

Thursday 18 October 2007 MONTREAL: LATINO ASYLUM SEEKERS ARRESTED
Canada's Border Services Agency has arrested 43 asylum seekers from South America. The arrests occurred this past week at Stanstead, QC, 165 kilometres southeast of Montreal, on the border with the U.S. state of Vermont. Officials say the arrests were part of a crackdown on an unusual surge in illegal immigration. Two of those arrested have been charged for smuggling people, and two for being in Canada illegally. Most of the 43 people have been released and have applied for refugee status. They are awaiting a hearing before the Immigration Refugee Board in Montreal.

Monday 15 October 2007 OTTAWA: CANADIANS EMBRACING CROSS-BORDER SHOPPING
More and more Canadians are crossing the border to do their shopping in the United States because the Canadian dollar has recently been trading at or above par with its U.S. counterpart. The Consumers' Association of Canada is offering advice to those who embrace cross-border shopping. Bruce Cran, president of the Ottawa-based association, says that some American merchants are declining to give the proper exchange rate when Canadians pay with Canadian currency. Mr. Cran advises Canadian shoppers to exchange their currency at a Canadian bank before crossing into the United States.

Friday 12 October 2007 TORONTO: U.S. WOULD IMPOSE NEW SECURITY BURDEN ON CANADIAN AIRLINES
The Globe and Mail newspaper reports that Canadian airlines are in an uproar over a proposal by the U.S. ostensibly aimed at improving security. According to The Globe, the U.S. department of homeland security has proposed that Canadian airlines conveying passengers back and forth between such popular winter destinations as Mexico and the Caribbean provide passenger manifests three days before the flights, even if they don't land in the U.S. The stated purpose is to thwart terrorists. The deadline to file comments on the plan is Oct. 22. The Air Transport Association of Canada has expressed outrage, pointing out that Canada has its own "no-fly" list which was developed in close co-operation with the U.S. The Association says that such a requirement would be a major problem for airlines and tour operators who would need to assign staff to deal with it and to ensure that their software to transfer the information to the U.S. is compatible with American electronic systems. The requirement wouldn't apply to domestic flights which pass over U.S. territory.

Tuesday 09 October 2007 EDMONTON: U.S. LABEL PLAN DENOUNCED
Canadian beef and pork producers have urged the federal government to lobby vigorously to head off a U.S. plan to impose labels which specify where meat products come from as well as tracking rules for them. The Canadian Cattlemen's Association and the Canadian Pork Council say the law would cost them $500 million a year. The lobbies say the law will be a violation of the rules of the North American Free Trade Agreement and the NAFTAWorld Trade Organization. The law would oblige American importers of Canadian pigs and cattle to slaughter them separately and to label the products "from Canada and the United States." The Canadian producers say they fear that American slaughterhouses and supermarkets won't want the extra trouble and cost of doing so. The Canadian government has said in a formal submission to Washington that the proposal will undo 18 years of free trade under NAFTA, and that the impending law "is clearly discriminatory, costly and backwards."

Sunday 30 September 2007 WINDSOR: MORE MEXICANS REPORTED HEADING FOR WINDSOR
A Florida businessman held a meeting with the mayor of Windsor, ON, on Friday and advised him that a busload of Mexican migrants is headed his way. Businessman Jacques Sinjuste of the Jerusalem Haitian Community Centre in Florida is alleged to have told illegal Mexican migrants who face a crackdown by the U.S. authorities that they'll be safe and be given jobs in Canada. More than 200 migrants, most of them Mexicans, have arrived in the Canadian city near Detroit in recent weeks. Mr. Sinjuste told Mayor Eddie Francis that he never advised the migrants to go to Windsor but rather to the non-profit Freedom House organization in Detroit, and that it is the latter that sends them on to Canada. Mexicans can enter Canada without a visa. The Citizenship and Immigration Canada department has placed a fraud warning on its Website which warns Mexicans that they won't receive any preferential treatment in Canada.

Monday 24 September 2007 OTTAWA: U.S. AMBASSADOR OPTIMISTIC ABOUT TRADE IN WAKE OF STRONG CANADIAN DOLLAR
The U-S ambassador to Canada, David Wilkins, predicts that the brisk movement of goods and services between the two countries will continue at the same pace even though this week, for the first time in 30 years, the value of Canada's dollar matched that of the U-S dollar. American businesses operating in Canada suddenly face higher operating costs. But Mr. Wilkins says businesses in both countries will make the stronger Canadian dollar work to their advantage. The ambassador also expects the number of Canadian tourists and shoppers in the United States to increase. As Derrick Stoffel reports, Canadian cross-border shopping has already intensified.

Saturday 22 September 2007 MEECH LAKE: U.S., CANADA MODERNIZE TAX LAW
Canada and the U.S. have signed a treaty to modernize the taxation treaty that has been in effect since 1980. The revision is intended to ease the circulation of goods and people between them. Canadian Finance Minister Jim Flaherty and his American counterpart Henry Paulson says they hope the revision will stimulate trade and simplify the lives of citizens who migrate from one country to the other by recognizing their payments into a retirement fund and by setting up an arbitration mechanism in cases of double taxation. The agreement, which was negotiated for 10 years, also eliminates tax on interest for loans contracted in the other country, a change which business people on both sides of the border had wanted.

Friday 14 September 2007 WASHINGTON: U.S. TO RESUME BUYING OLDER CANADIAN COWS
The Canadian Press reports that the U.S. will announce on Friday that imports from Canada of older cows and beef products will resume. The U.S. agriculture department's chief veterinarian, John Clifford, will discuss the resumption with reporters. After cases of mad-cow disease were discovered in Canada in 2003, the U.S. shut the border to Canadian cattle. Trade eventually resumed in younger animals thought less prone to the disease. But cows older than 30 months and products from them are still forbidden.

Thursday 13 September 2007 On the morrow of the sixth anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, the homeland security department has announced new security measures for travellers wishing to enter the U.S. by air or sea. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff says that henceforth all such travellers will be obliged to provide 10 digital fingerprints on arrival, instead of two as at present. All U.S. embassies will have the capability to collect the fingerprints for inspection upon arrival. Further, travellers' personal data will have to be transmitted to the U.S. for security checks before the plane takes off. The new rules are effective February 2008.

Monday 21 January 2008 Montebello summit bill tops $27 million

OTTAWA -- The Montebello summit cost at least $27 million, according to new documents obtained by Canwest News Service.

The documents show the RCMP's expenses to secure the two-day event that brought together the leaders of Mexico, Canada and the U.S. at Quebec's Chateau Montebello, about 80 kilometres east of Ottawa.

The RCMP, the police force with "primary responsibility for security" at the meeting, spent $13.4 million to plan and secure the event according to a financial summary. The Mounties originally estimated it would cost them $15.7 million for the event.

Editorial — Montebello meltdown

Amidst all the hullabaloo surrounding the Montebello Summit on the Security and Prosperity Partnership going on this week near Ottawa, we had occasion to interview one of the most reasoned and informed sources on the subject this past weekend. Dr. Robert A. Pastor is Vice President of International Affairs at American University in Washington, D.C. and Director of its North American Studies progra... Full Story

Saturday 25 August 2007 Undercover cops never incited violence: SQ
At summit demo. Infiltrating protests 'standard procedure' see Robert Galbraith photos

Aislin archive Aug 22, 2007

MONTREAL, VANCOUVER: QUEBEC POLICE UNREPENTANT
Quebec provincial police have defended the actions of three officers who went undercover earlier in the week at the summit of the three North American leaders at Montebello, QC, by pretending to be protesters. The three were caught on video, which is available for viewing at the popular YouTube website. Insp. Marcel Savard says they were not there to provoke anyone or incite to violence. The videoclip shows one officer holding a rock, but Insp. Savard says he was given it by a protester and didn't throw it. The president of the Canadian Union of Public Employees, Ken Georgetti, criticized the operation, but federal Public Safety Minister Stockwell dismissed it, wondering whether Mr. Georgetti was aware that some of the protesters would become violent. Mr. Day says he has seen the video and that the officers are seen not to be violent. Protesters have claimed the opposite.

Wednesday 22 August 2007

THE JELLY BEAN SUMMIT
by Daniel Tencer
August 22, 2007

Jelly beans. This is what this week’s Security and Prosperity Partnership summit in Montebello, Quebec, has amounted to, at least in the eyes of the Big Seven and Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Besieged by questions about the possibility of Canadian sovereignty being undermined by a push for further continental integration in North America, the prime minister, with US President George W. Bush and Mexican President Felipe Calderon at his side, ridiculed the notion. “Is the sovereignty of Canada going to fall apart if we standardize the jelly beans? Maybe [Liberal leader Stephane] Dion thinks so,” Harper said. “But I don’t think so.” Harper was referring to the case of New Brunswick entrepreneur David Ganong, who exports jelly beans to the US and has long had to keep two separate inventories of the sugary candies because of different regulations in the US and Canada as to what the acceptable contents of a jelly bean are. (Just what are the contents of a jelly bean, anyway?) Taking their cue from the prime minister, the Big Seven today turn Ganong into a fifteen-minute celebrity, a one-man symbol of what the SPP summit was really all about, contrary to the claims of many detractors that it is a secretive attempt to integrate North American economies without democratic oversight. From

Of course, it would be unfair to say that jelly beans were all the news to come out of the long-anticipated summit of the leaders of North America’s three countries. The Big Seven all prioritize the news differently in today’s cycle. The Globe leads with a plea from North American business executives for a more open border between Canada and the US, something they say is an economic necessity. The Star leads with a promise from the Three Amigos to stop unsafe goods from entering North America, a response to recent concerns about the safety of Chinese-made food and toys. And the Post leads while the Citizen fronts with President Bush’s high praise for Canada’s war effort in Afghanistan, saying the country’s military has “performed brilliantly,” though accepting that Canada’s combat role may come to an end in 2009, thanks to a Parliament that will not likely extend the mission. Yet, as far as anyone can tell, there is nothing concrete coming out of these meetings, no legislation that can be taken to Parliament (for now, at least) and not even any agreement on contentious issues such as Canada’s claim to the Northwest Passage. In all, the impression left by the Big Seven is that of hot air—lots of photo ops attended, lots of column inches written, but not much to say. One has to wonder whether it is a good use of taxpayers’ money for national leaders to meet and determine that we should all be eating the same jelly beans. Finally, there is La Presse, chiming in with its own little exclusive: Apparently, the US embassy, which rented out most of the rooms at the Chateau Montebello ahead of the summit, has yet to pay the hotel bill. So perhaps the Jelly Bean Summit ended up forcing everyone involved—the national leaders, the protesters and even the media itself—to write a cheque they cannot cash.

Tuesday 21 August 2007 U.S., Canada, Mexico wrap up summit
Aug 21 - The summit agenda was limited and Mexican President Felipe Calderon cut short his meetings to tend to Hurricane Dean
President Bush said no decision was made about extending the tour of Canadian troops serving in Afghanistan...an issue that has proved to be politically difficult for Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper. [see video]

MONTEBELLO: NORTH AMERICAN LEADERS AGREE ON ENSURE BORDERS OPEN
The two-day Security and Prosperity Partnership summit has concluded with agreement between the leaders of Canada, Mexico and the U.S. that their governments will take action to make sure their borders won't be crippled to commerce as happened after the Sept. 11 attacks. Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, George W. Bush and Felipe Calderon, president of the U.S. and Mexico respectively, agreed on the need for a border protocol in the event of another terrorist attack or an outbreak of disease, but there was little detail. They also agreed to crack down on the import of unsafe foods and goods, especially toys. The move follows a series of safety scares from food additives, toothpaste and toys made in China. At their final news conference, Mr. Bush was lavish in his praise of Canada's mission in Afghanistan, saluting Canadians for sacrificing their lives to give Afghans freedom. Mr. Bush and Mr. Harper disagreed, however, over Canada's sovereignty claim in the Arctic. The president says he welcomes Canada's new military investments in the North but stuck to the official U.S. position that the Northwest Passage is international. Mr. Calderon ended his Canadian visit one day early to return home to visit Yucatan, which is being pounded by Hurricane Dean.

Tuesday 21 August 2007 MONTEBELLO: MONTEBELLO: PM MEETS BUSH DESPITE PROTESTS
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper met U.S. President George W. Bush at Montebello, QC, on the first day of the two-day North American summit. They were later joined by Mexico's President Felipe Calderon, who said he'll have to return home on Tuesday instead of on Wednesday to deal with the emergency caused by Hurricane Dean, which is nearing Yucatan. The three leaders' main purpose is to discuss their countries' North American Security and Prosperity Partnership. Canadian officials revealed that Mr. Bush and Mr. Harper discussed border issues, trade and Canada's sovereignty claim over the Arctic. During the weekend, former U.S. Ambassador Paul Cellucci said it would make sense for the U.S. to recognize that claim. The president did not reverse the longstanding U.S. contention that Canada has sovereignty over the Arctic islands but that the waterways around them are international. Outside the conference compound, police used pepper spray and tear gas to disperse a crowd of about 200 protesters. There were two arrests. The demonstrators were espousing a range of causes, including the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, North American integration, the leaders' attitude toward the environment, the plight of natives and alleged human-rights abuses committed in the war against terrorism. There were also numerous complaints about the supposed secrecy of the event. WASHINGTON: U.S. OFFICIALS SAID TO BACK DRIVERS' LICENCE FOR BORDER ID Unnamed U.S. officials cited by the Canadian Press say they support the idea of using high-technology drivers' licences as an alternative to passports as identification when crossing the border from Canada into the U.S. The Canadian government has been lobbying Washington to accept precisely that compromise, warning that the passport requirement will harm tourism and trade. CP's sources noted that the state of Vermont is developing just such a driver's licence, which would be somewhat more expensive to acquire. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff says the Vermont plan "helps us strike the right balance between security and facilitation..." Vermont Gov. Jim Douglas says he's pleased there will be a more reasonable alternative for Vermonters who travel to Canada. Mr. Chertoff has been forced to delay the passport requirement for travellers by land or sea until summer 2008. The requirement is in effect for air travellers. PM MEETS BUSH DESPITE PROTESTS Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper met U.S. President George W. Bush at Montebello, QC, on the first day of the two-day North American summit. They were later joined by Mexico's President Felipe Calderon, who said he'll have to return home on Tuesday instead of on Wednesday to deal with the emergency caused by Hurricane Dean, which is nearing Yucatan. The three leaders' main purpose is to discuss their countries' North American Security and Prosperity Partnership. Canadian officials revealed that Mr. Bush and Mr. Harper discussed border issues, trade and Canada's sovereignty claim over the Arctic. During the weekend, former U.S. Ambassador Paul Cellucci said it would make sense for the U.S. to recognize that claim. The president did not reverse the longstanding U.S. contention that Canada has sovereignty over the Arctic islands but that the waterways around them are international. Outside the conference compound, police used pepper spray and tear gas to disperse a crowd of about 200 protesters. There were two arrests. The demonstrators were espousing a range of causes, including the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, North American integration, the leaders' attitude toward the environment, the plight of natives and alleged human-rights abuses committed in the war against terrorism. There were also numerous complaints about the supposed secrecy of the event.

WASHINGTON: U.S. OFFICIALS SAID TO BACK DRIVERS' LICENCE FOR BORDER ID
Unnamed U.S. officials cited by the Canadian Press say they support the idea of using high-technology drivers' licences as an alternative to passports as identification when crossing the border from Canada into the U.S. The Canadian government has been lobbying Washington to accept precisely that compromise, warning that the passport requirement will harm tourism and trade. CP's sources noted that the state of Vermont is developing just such a driver's licence, which would be somewhat more expensive to acquire. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff says the Vermont plan "helps us strike the right balance between security and facilitation..." Vermont Gov. Jim Douglas says he's pleased there will be a more reasonable alternative for Vermonters who travel to Canada. Mr. Chertoff has been forced to delay the passport requirement for travellers by land or sea until summer 2008. The requirement is in effect for air travellers.

Friday 10 August 2007 What's good for birds is good for economies
Cross-border cooperation is key
OTTAWA — John Kenneth Galbraith was perhaps the world's most consistent liberal economist of the 20th century. Contemptuous of free-market economics from the beginning of his adult life (when in 1931, at age 22, he abandoned Canada for the United States) to the end (when in 2006, at age 97, he died), Mr. Galbraith never wavered in his conviction that the need for social reform - to lessen poverty, income inequality and corporate crime - surpassed the need for economic efficiency. Yet he never wavered in his conviction that economic globalization was an essential advance to a better world.

Monday 06 August 2007 OTTAWA: CANADIAN TRAVELERS FACE TOUGHER ENTRY INTO USA
More Canadians than ever before are being turned away at the Canada-U.S. border due to tougher security. Reports say that so far this year, thirty thousand people trying to enter the United States from Canada have been refused entry. That's several thousand more than at this time last year. Since the September, 2001, terror attacks in the United States, U.S. officials have been granted access to Canadians' criminal records going back to 1970. The files include people who have received a pardon.

Sunday 29 July 2007 TORONTO: ONTARIO TO MORE POLICE BOOTS ON THE GROUND
Premier Dalton McGuinty has announced that 200 more police officers on the streets to stop the flow of illegal guns, one quarter of whom will be assigned to stop the flow of guns over the U.S. border. The premier also says six new prosecutors will be hired better to track, investigate and stem the trade in handguns. Four people were shot to death in Toronto over the weekend, one of them at 11-year-old boy.

Wednesday 25 July 2007 ANCHORAGE: B.C. PREMIER CONTINUES PUSH FOR ENHANCED LICENSES
British Columbia Premier Gordon Campbell has urged all levels of government to adopt enhanced drivers' licenses with security features allowing them to be accepted as valid travel documents at the border. Mr. Campbell says that the Canadian and provincial governments as well as U.S. border states should work to make enhanced licenses a reality. B.C. and Washington state have been working on a pilot project for enhanced licenses at a border crossing since June 2006. The U.S. government intends to require the presentation of a passport or similar document to travellers entering the U.S. by land or sea. Mr. Campbell made his suggestion while attending the Northwest Economic Region conference this week in Anchorage, Alaska. The 500 participants are discussing ways to promote economic co-operation in the region bounded by Oregon and Montana to the south and Alaska to the north. B.C., Alberta and Yukon territory are members.

Friday 13 July 2007 OTTAWA: FINANCE DEPT. REJECTS NORTH AMERICAN DOLLAR
The Globe and Mail newspaper reports that top officials in Canada's finance department have advised their minister, Jim Flaherty, against the idea of a common North American currency. Documents written last year and this obtained by the newspaper under the Freedom of Access law tell Mr. Flaherty that a common currency would lead to an erosion of Canadian sovereignty. The authors say that the Canadian government would have to abandon an independent monetary policy and thus its ability to influence economic conditions within the country's borders and that Ottawa would lose control of domestic inflation and interest rates. Proponents of a single currency for the U.S., Canada and Mexico claim that it would eliminate transaction costs and uncertainties of sharp changes in the currency rates of the U.S. and Canadians dollars and that the transition would be eased if the Canadian dollar were closer in exchange value to the American currency. Last week, the loonie hit a 30-year high of almost US96 cents.

Friday 13 July 2007 rci CANADIANS DEEM BORDER SAFER
A public opinion survey indicates that most Canadians think their country's border with the U.S. safer than five years ago after the Sept. 11 attacks. However, the poll by the EKOS firm also shows that 79 per cent of the some 3,000 people asked last February were either "worried" or "very worried" that goods or people crossing the border into Canada threatened their personal security. The survey also indicates that few people have an idea of what measures have been taken by government to make the border more secure.

Monday 02 July 2007 TORONTO: NO-FLY LIST CAUSING CONFUSION
Canada's new no-fly list has begun to cause some confusion. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation reports that two boys with the same name, Alistair Butt, were prevented from boarding their flights last week because they have the same name as one on the list. The list bars people suspected of terrorist activity or convicted of dangerous crimes from flying on commercial flights. One boy was stopped in Montreal. The other boy's point of departure was not reported. Both boys were eventually cleared by security and allowed to board after a long delay. Canada's no-fly list went into effect on June 18. It's believed to have between one and two thousand names. The list is not available to the public. Passengers discover that they are on the list only when they try to board their plane. [useless!]

Saturday Jun 30, 2007 2 CANADIAN BOYS WITH SAME NAME LAND ON NO-FLY LIST
Two boys named Alistair Butt, one from Saskatchewan and one from Ontario, were stopped while trying to board flights last week because their name matches a name that appears on a no-fly list. FULL STORY:

Saturday Jun 30, 2007 Teen 'treated like a criminal or terrorist,' mother says A 15-year-old boy from the Ottawa suburb of Orleans, a star athlete and 2003 Ontario junior citizen ...
...An airline official told his parents, Keith and Major Heather Butt, that Alistair's name was on a "no-fly list," but wouldn't say whether it was the Canadian, U.S. or the airline's own unruly passengers list google w-n', LEFT);" onmouseout="return nd();" target="_" > see w-n on No Fly List

WATCHDOGS UNLEASHED
For people uniformly referred to as “watchdogs” in the headlines of today's reports, Canada's information commissioners, privacy commissioners and ombudspeople are normally not given to barking. This makes it all the more remarkable when they speak loudly, forcefully and unanimously. The Citizen leads while The National, CTV News, and the Post go inside with the statement released yesterday by federal, provincial and territorial officials, sharply criticizing Transport Canada's eleven-day-old no-fly list. It outlines a set of concerns that go beyond the more traditional privacy and access to information issues that normally worry the commissioners. As quoted in the Globe, their statement expresses frustration with the due-process gaps in the no-fly list, given that passengers who are put on the list or are confused with someone who is on it “will not have legally enforceable rights of appeal, to independent adjudication or to compensation for out-of-pocket expenses or other damages.”

With the progress of the war on terror comes a new form of verbiage, shifting easily between bureaucratese and focus-group euphemisms; in this case, the no-fly list is officially termed the “Specified Persons” list of the “Passenger Protect” program. Within hours of the commissioners’ statement, the Citizen reports that Transport Minister Lawrence Cannon issued a response defending the list and “thumbing his nose” at the commissioners, saying that the safeguards and appeal process in place are sufficient to protect privacy and redress any errors. Other Transport Canada officials spoke to the media more freely, which is a rarity in a government where ministers themselves are frequently told to keep quiet and let the Prime Minister do the talking; aviation security chief Allen Kagedan shot back in the Citizen, “People say there are big problems, so where are they?”, while spokesperson Julia Ukrintz crisply stated, “We've done our homework and we believe in the program … we know what works and we know what doesn’t.” Even with explicit parliamentary approval for and oversight of the program and the process, the commissioners remain critical of the entire approach and are unlikely to be reassured. Ontario Privacy Commissioner Ann Cavoukian was as blunt as possible on CTV News: “It's a scam. We should be ashamed of this.”

Thursday Jun 21, 2007 WASHINGTON: U.S. DELAYS BORDER ID PLAN
U.S. officials say that Canadians wishing to enter the U.S. by land or sea won't have to show a passport until at least summer 2008. The U.S. government has thus retreated from its plan to require the display of a passport starting next January. The development is due to the fact that the state department is struggling to cope with a huge backlog of passport applications, as is Canada's foreign affairs department. The revised U.S. plan will require Canadians and returning Americans to show government-issued ID bearing photos, such a driver's license and proof of citizenship. The passport requirement will go into effect after Washington gives 60-day notice. ...
Airline officials warned, however, that the boy might be blacklisted for life. They said the best way to avoid future inconvenience and embarrassment was to change their son's name. The same advice was given by Westjet officials on the return flight from St. John's. The experience has left the 15-year-old Grade 9 pupil angry and confused.

THE USUAL NO-FLY SUSPECTS
by Valerie Howes
June 18, 2007

Not so long ago, you could type up the US no-fly list in large font, double-spaced, on a single side of loose-leaf paper. Then September 11 happened. Six years on, that list—intended to keep those deemed a threat to commercial aviation on the ground—has grown from sixteen to 44,000 names (or even more than 100,000, depending on which source you believe) including the names of pacifist activists, Canadian MPs, and a small, but presumably scary, mob of pre-school children. As Canada puts into effect its own no-fly list today, news sources wonder if what Canadians gain in security will be outweighed by what they lose in personal privacy. CTV News quotes Ayman al-Yassini of the Canadian Foundation for Race Relations as warning: “The list will invade privacy, it may be shared with foreign agencies, foreign governments.” The Maher Arar case, in which a Syrian-born Canadian on the US no-fly list was arrested in New York and subsequently detained and tortured in Syria, only to be fully exonerated ten months later, is held up by CTV News as a worst-case scenario of what can go wrong as a result of no-fly lists. And since Transport Canada will not be publishing the Canadian list, passengers will only discover if they appear on it when they turn up at the airport to travel.

In the same spirit as CTV News, CBC News: Sunday Night suggests the federal government action is excessive. Barry Prentice, the director of the Transport Institute at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, tells the news program that implementing Transport Canada's Specified Persons list is “sort of a charade” to make people feel like they have greater security. He highlights the frustrations that will be experienced by passengers erroneously appearing on the list, who will have to prove their innocence to have their names removed, meanwhile, for the most part focuses on Transport Minister Lawrence Cannon’s reassurances that “the vast majority of Canadians who fly today won't notice the introduction of Ottawa's no-fly list.” Cannon reminds Canadians of last summer’s foiled air terror plot in the UK to reinforce the need for tighter measures. As a counterbalance to the official line, however, Conservative MP John Williams, who was temporarily grounded because his name appeared on the US no-fly lists, is quoted in the Star as being concerned about “this catch everybody, throw the net out there and see how many fish the net can catch [approach], rather than focusing on the people who are concerned.” As Canada takes its lead from the US, MediaScout is on the same page as Prentice when he tells CBC News: Sunday Night that he hopes the list will be limited to “the size of a hockey team."

The Current for June 18, 2007 No Fly List – Debate
The United States has had a no-fly-list for years expanding since the terrorist attacks of 2001. According to a report on CBS's 60 Minutes ... 44,000 names were on that list as of March, 2006. And some Canadians, such as Shahid Mahmoud wonder whether they have been caught up in its dragnet. We heard from him describing the time he was prevented from boarding an Air Canada flight back in 2004.

Listen to The Current: Part 1

Mon June 18, 2007 Last Word – No Fly List

Before we ended the program today, we were talking about Canada's No Fly List earlier this morning. It goes into effect today. Many people have misgivings about the list as a matter of principle and others because of problems with the U.S. No Fly List. We heard CBS journalist, Steve Kroft reporting on some of the shortcomings with the U.S. list in 2006. He noted that some of the people American intelligence was most concerned about were not even on the list. That segment was re-broadcast on 60 Minutes earlier this month and we ended the program today with his report.

 

Mon June 18th Listen to The Current:Part 3

Saturday 16 June 2007 rci WASHINGTON: SENATORS DEMAND HONESTY ON IMPENDING BORDER ID PLAN Two U.S. senators have called upon the U.S. government to admit that it won't be ready to enforce legislation that will require that passports be presented by land travellers at the border with Canada, including by returning Americans. Sens. Patrick Leahy and Ted Stevens say that recent public statements about the plan that's supposed to go into effect in January 2008 are causing chaos and confusion. Air travellers have officially needed passports since Jan. 23. But the requirement has caused such a huge backlog at the state department because of Americans demanding to obtain passports that the government has suspended the requirement until September. The backlog has ruined many people's travel plans. Critics of the border security requirement say that to demand passports for land and sea travellers in January will merely worsen the chaos.

Saturday 16 June 2007 QUEBEC CITY: QUEBEC TIGHTENS GUN CONTROL
The government of Quebec province has presented legislation that would further limit the carrying and use of firearms. Education Minister Jacques Dupuis says the bill would restrict the possession of all firearms on the grounds of educational institutions and daycare centres. Guns are to be banned from public and school transport. Shooting clubs and ranges will need a provincial permit, and their operators compelled to report any suspicious behaviour on the part of their customers. The legislation comes in reaction to a shooting rampage by a demented individual at a college in downtown Montreal last September which left two students dead and 20 injured.

Saturday 16 June 2007 OTTAWA: NORTH AMERICAN SUMMIT IN CANADA SET FOR AUGUST
Leaders of Canada, the U.S. and Mexico will meet in Montebello, QC, this summer to discuss a number of issues of mutual interest. A White House spokesman said Friday that Prime Minister Stephen Harper, President W. George Bush and President Felipe Calderon will review progress and continued co-operation under the Security and Prosperity Partnership, as well as discuss hemispheric and global issues. The meeting at the Quebec resort will be held on August 20 and 21.

Ready to fly

Ottawa moves to simplify passport application process

The government announced a series of measures on Friday to cut down on the backlog that has plagued...

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