I travelled up to Canada just a few years ago. in the late spring, just by myself, going on a road trip.
Middle aged, white, short hair, glasses, wearing a military hat.
I had been driving for several hours straight (through northern Maine) when I hit the border. I figured I would stop and use a men’s room at the border crossing facility, which was good, because at that point, I had to go pretty badly.
When I got there, they asked me questions, then told me to pull my car to the side and come inside the building. When I came in (around 20:00) there was one person in this big room with benches, and when I asked him if I could use the men’s room, he said no. I had to wait.
So I had to urinate pretty badly at this time, but they said no, so I paced back and forth, because that can get pretty uncomfortable. After about five minutes, two border guards came out (male and female) and walked me to my car, asking me questions about whether I owned guns, etc. and then proceeded to take the entire car apart. Took my luggage out and completely emptied it, pulled out floor mats, emptied my glove compartment, emptied my trunk, searched the engine compartment, etc. The female pulls my container of prescription pills out (to save space when going on short trips, I just take what I need and throw them all into one container) and asks what they were, so I explain each one, and she admonishes me and says “You shouldn’t put them together in one container” which starts to REALLY piss me off. They are pulling other stuff out saying “What’s this? Why do you have this?”, etc.
Then, they pull my secured gun safe from under my seat, and ask if I had a gun in it. I said no, I already told them about a half dozen times I did not have a gun with me. They asked me to open it, and for some reason, the key didn’t work. At this point, I had to go so badly I said “Look. Why don’t you get a crowbar and force it open, I really have to go to the men’s room?” But I did finally get the blamed thing open.
All this took about 30-45 minutes, and by the end of it, as anyone who has ever had to go that badly knows, you almost begin to salivate from the discomfort.
I was pretty pissed.
To make it worse, on the way home the next day (only stayed one night) I got stopped by two police cruisers outside of St. Johns, where again, I was asked several times if I owned guns. Turns out they stopped me because I had apparently not paid for a tank of gasoline about forty miles back, and they called the RCMP. When they told me I didn’t pay, I was pretty adamant that I had, but agreed to drive back and straighten it out. As soon as I walked in, the guy behind the counter was apologetic, and said “I told them not to be hard on you, it was an accident!” We had a good laugh. It was due to confusion about the difference in the way credit card readers work up there, and I had ended up paying for a soft drink I purchased, not the gasoline.
Needless to say, I wasn’t feeling any love from North of the Border. Don’t feel like going back up again. Someone told me it was a tit-for-tat situation because Canadians complain the US side is tough on them going over. Yeah, I guess. They haven’t had a plane plow into a skyscraper up there. But their fixation with guns really pissed me off, and they were getting that crap from somewhere.
Yeah, Canadians are obsessed with guns, with getting rid of them completely.
I wouldn’t be surprised if they threw them into a great big pile and lit them all on fire on Canada day, July 1, right in front of Parliament Hill, creating a tremendous fireworks show!
I suppose Canada wants to differentiate itself from its southern neighbor, who cherishes its Second Amendment.
asking me questions about whether I owned guns, etc
= = =
Hmmm . . . familiar
One day, I drove my US car into Canadia, and the border guards asked Where are your guns? Not do you have any. Where are they?
I said, I knew you would ask, and I left them back in Idaho.
And I was let through, with wife, 3 kids, and the Idaho guest.
Later I suspected they had run my plate and connected with state gun ownership records.
Similar at a stop in Susanville, CA.
No one has confirmed that the cops run plates, and check with ownership records. I’d like to know that.
I am ashamed of the way you were treated. Most Canadians love Americans. The Canadian government does not believe in freedom any longer. Canadians are victims of liberal fascism.That has to change.
Anti America sentiment is at an all time high in Canada because the political elites of Canada fear a populist political movement like we have in the USA with Donald Trump. Politicians in Canada do not want that to happen because it would remove them from controlling a cowed Canadian Public.
And this is how it plays out at the border. very discourteous and unnecessary jack-booted fascist thug behavior.The Canadian border patrol at times can be wound up so tight they couldn’t fart louder than a mosquito.When the shit hits the fab they can and do shoot at each other, like the RCMP did during the recent massacre of people in Nova Scotia.
I have no respect for any fellow Canadian who supports that type of mal-administration of law.I would apologize to you if I had the authority to do so.
About 20 years ago, someone had given me a broken BB pistol thinking I might be able to fix it.
I tossed it on the back seat floor of my car and promptly forgot about it.
Until several months later when I was sitting on a bridge going into Canada waiting to get through Customs.
I suddenly remembered it was there but since I had a bunch of stuff on top of it, it wasn’t visible.
Hmmm, can I just grab it and toss it off the bridge? No. 100 people sill see that stunt.
Hmmm, do I tell the Customs Officer? Not unless he asks.
He didn’t ask. So I drove through Canada to my destination in Buffalo, NY. For Detroit to Buffalo, cutting through Canada shaves about four hours off the trip.
I gave the BB gun to a friend in Buffalo to throw away and headed home.
Entering Canada, the Customs guy says “Do you have anything you shouldn’t have?” then he leans down so his face was a few inches (few centimeters) from mine and says “LIKE A GUN?”
With a sneer, I said “NO” trying to affect my best “I’m sceered of guns” look and went on my way.
We had a similar experience.
WE were in N. New York State for a wedding.
Since my wife had never seen Niagara Falls I took her over the Border to see the Horseshoe Falls.
Well, at the Border they decided we were sneaking cigarettes into the Country. I guess being from North Carolina was a trigger.
They took us to an area, we sat on the curb while they went through our car, luggage, etc.
I can tell you I really had to bite my tongue.
Did a quick trip to the Falls, and bugged out of Canada. They won't ever see me again.