[Kozak]

Thank the Lord above we have friends in the United States that will point this out to our deaf, dumb and blind fellow countrymen

If Canada is the portal for another 9/11 we will do more then "point it out". With us or against us. Remember?

[Ashamed Canadian]

If Canada is the portal for another 9/11 we will do more then "point it out". With us or against us. Remember?

and you'd be more than justified in doing soin my opinion. My government has neglected this issue far too much.

[NorthOf45]

'If Canada is the portal for another 9/11 we will do more then "point it out". With us or against us. Remember?'

Yes, we remember ... and that's why Bush gets bad press. This black and white, us-against-the-World point of view is detrimental to a unified front. So, sleeper cells in Canada cause an event in the U.S. and suddenly we're an enemy worthy of an extreme reaction ... nice. I'm glad not all Americans think like that.

Why are we in Afghanistan again? We're in on the fight against terrorism too ... remember THAT.

[albertabound]

Why do you think we are against you? We have troops abroad and warships at sea. What proof is there that Canada is crawling with terrorists sneaking about with hockey sticks clenched between thier teeth anxious to slapshoot America back to the stoneage. There are also many suspicious looking " foreigners" working in New Jersey 7/11 stores. Having said that, our immigrant favourable government needs to beef up border security, screen new applicants more thoroghly and nab the 30,000 illegals that were ordered deported but have disappeared from the radar screen. Our agencies seem to be co-operating and notwithstanding alarming government reports, that is where the rubber meets the road.

[albertabound]

Quietly, Canadian and American officials are discussing further integration


Canadians are so exasperated with George W. Bush that few politicians dare to speak about Canada-U.S. ties. The topic was inserted as an afterthought into the final paragraphs of the Speech from the Throne, tucked under the deliciously vague heading of "Canada's role in the world." The almost visceral reaction to the U.S. President has turned any overt attempts at closer ties into political suicide on the brink of a spring election.

And that makes what is going on behind the scenes all the more astonishing. Politicians may be coy, but bureaucrats are quietly devising plans for closer ties across multiple areas. Ottawa's Canadian Centre for Management Development is even offering an eight-month course for top bureaucrats on how to take account of Canada-U.S. concerns in daily decisions. (In keeping with Ottawa's below-the-radar approach, this course cannot be found on its Web site.) "It's a top priority within the bureaucracy, the preoccupation of most departments," says Tom d'Aquino, president of the Canadian Council of Chief Executives. "Next year, you will be able to point to initiatives where we have moved forward."

Consider the following:

• The U.S. is implacable in its determination to secure its borders. That could spell huge trouble for exporters. Last month, U.S. officials began to photograph and fingerprint all visa visitors arriving at 115 airports and 14 ports. By the end of this year, that program is to be extended to the 50 busiest land crossings; by the end of next year, it is to include all land crossings. That could lead to catastrophic lineups — so Public Safety Minister Anne McLellan is scrambling to find a compromise with her U.S. counterpart Tom Ridge. The idea is: we assuage their security fears, such as increased monitoring of the largely unpatrolled Great Lakes, and they will work harder at preventing border delays.