Canada a Rogue State; Yeah, That’s the Ticket

(Tom Ford — Winnipeg Free Press)

Trade experts say a border is “thick” when bureaucracy impedes the movement of goods, services and people. The Canada-U.S. border is now so thick it has love handles.

If our fatso border doesn’t slim down, it could ruin Canada’s and America’s long-term relationship of being good neighbours and each other’s best trading partner.

The border is getting fatter because Canadians and Americans view it differently. Canadians think it’s a line on a map that we should be able to cross quickly. Americans are focused on protectionism and the horrors of terrorism and want a border like China’s Great Wall.

The border’s problems are compounded by the fact that America has a Democratic president and a Congress controlled by Democrats. They are susceptible to the pleadings of unions interested in protectionism. As well, they’re worried Dick Cheney, the former vice-president, and other Republicans will accuse them of being soft on terrorism.

We talk about friendship and free trade, but the Americans are not listening. Janet Napolitano, the American secretary of homeland security, thought, until she was corrected, that some of the 9/11 terrorists came from Canada. At an appearance last week in Toronto, former presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton were unaware Canadians now need a passport or approved document to get into the States. Read the complete editorial here.