[DSC]

I looked here at UT and could not find anything on this here-I figured a good debate would be going-which was surprisingly NOT the case here.

I guess there may not have been much debate about this in the US but there was lots of discussion about it here in Canada. At the end of the day if a country wants to make its border more difficult to cross there is not much other countries can do. Frankly, I am not unhappy to show a passport but the general paranoia in the US in the last few years has certainly made me less keen to visit.

 

[kEiThZ]

Most Americans still vacation a lot within the US. I suspect that's why there's been less discussion. However, I would suspect that most tourists who do travel abroad or business people and the like would have passports. Keep in mind this does not mean just Canada but the rest of the world as well. So the rule, if anything, will damage the US more than anything.

 

[afransen]

really poor sarcasm....was Maher Arrar not white?

For people who care about such things, no he isn't. White meaning of course European (rather than Caucasoid) or western European if you want to go back to the '50s.

I'm pointing out that it's a double standard. There's no way that the Canadian and US government would have shipped him off to Syria if his name was John Smith.

 

[Maggie]

Most Americans still vacation a lot within the US. I suspect that's why there's been less discussion. However, I would suspect that most tourists who do travel abroad or business people and the like would have passports. Keep in mind this does not mean just Canada but the rest of the world as well. So the rule, if anything, will damage the US more than anything.

I guess the real litmus test for me will be going up to the cottage this summer and counting the number of American plates present. Half the vacationers in my area up North are Americans.

I work in an industry with heavy American involvement and have already found that many are unable to get across the border in the past year for some reason or other.You would think that this would be a great situation for our local business but thats not the case, if an American is unable to come across he is replaced by someone from Quebec.

 

[Hipster Duck]

No, Arrar was not found in afghanistan.

Maher Arrar was not sent to Guantanamo Bay. You might be thinking of Omar Khadr who was, in fact, found in Afghanistan.

 

[digi]

For people who care about such things

Wouldn't that be you...the one who brought it up?

You might be thinking of Omar Khadr who was, in fact, found in Afghanistan.

I brought up Arrar as an example, he was sent to Syria and tortured for a year....sad that no-one remember this.

 

[afransen]

It was sarcasm. You are evidently humourless. I was responding to an outlandish troll with an outlandish statement. Go ahead and call me racist, if it will make you feel better.

 

[jade_lee]

It was sarcasm. You are evidently humourless. I was responding to an outlandish troll with an outlandish statement. Go ahead and call me racist, if it will make you feel better.

Nothing outlandish about wanting justice to prevail.

 

[kEiThZ]

I work in an industry with heavy American involvement and have already found that many are unable to get across the border in the past year for some reason or other.You would think that this would be a great situation for our local business but thats not the case, if an American is unable to come across he is replaced by someone from Quebec.

How is that not a good thing? So if an American can't make it across, we hire a Canadian? That's a net benefit to this country. Hopefully, there will be more of that when this rule takes effect.

 

[Hydrogen]

No, Arrar was not found in afghanistan.

You're not following the thread. The response was to someone else. It was a rhetorical question.

 

[Maggie]

How is that not a good thing? So if an American can't make it across, we hire a Canadian? That's a net benefit to this country. Hopefully, there will be more of that when this rule takes effect.

I should of clarified my point better. It's good on a national standing but we have enough capable engineers and technicians in Toronto, but every time someone can't get in from the States the Federal government appoints people to the project from Quebec without local consultation of any kind.

 

[Prometheus The Supremo]

how does this impact cross border shipping?

 

[urbanfan89]

Ideally I'd love to see a Schengen-like arrangement regarding the border, but until the US improves its own standards this understandably cannot happen.

 

[kEiThZ]

how does this impact cross border shipping?

I would imagine badly in the beginning as truck drivers have to get used to carrying passports.

Ideally I'd love to see a Schengen-like arrangement regarding the border, but until the US improves its own standards this understandably cannot happen.

I don't think that's possible because we will never have the same immigration, visa, trade, etc. policies as the US. Hence, they will always have to maintain stricter border controls than the EU on the 49th parallel.

But we could soften the impact by implementing biometric IDs so that crossings can be processed faster.

 

[cacruden]

Was he not found in Afghanistan?

Yes, the kid in Gitmo was taken from Afghanistan. And for those that were pushing for Geneva conventions on prisoners to be adhered to - those would allow for the prisoners of war to be held without war crimes trials for 6 months following the end of hostilities (i.e. formal agreement ending conflict) - which has not happened yet.