Why Canada Should Improve its Border Security
Border security is an issue of serious concern in Canada. The number of guns that the Canadian Security Agency at its borders has seized shows that there is an increasing threat of illegal weapons in the country. The number of guns moving from USA to Canada has increased, and it is an indication that the border between Canada and USA has become more porous than before. McKie (p.1) reports that the number of guns that the Canadian security agencies at the border seized had doubled between 2011 and 2012. The increasing number of seizures of illegal firearms indicates that even more arms could have been smuggled across the boarders without detection. Such trends mean that Canada’s internal security is on threat, e.g. of terror attacks, because of the border’s high porosity. Canada has made little progress in reducing its cross-border smuggling of weapons. The country has introduced policies that have reduced national spending on cross-border security. Budget-cuts are not supportive to a better and secure border. There is need for Canada to increase its investment in improving security between it and USA for the country to subvert threats on its internal security.
The main advantage of increasing security at the boarder is that Canada shall reduce the threats of illegal weapons and terrorism. The current situation shows that the number of unlicensed weapons that the police have recovered along the streets are far more than the ones they have seized at the Canada-US border. McKie explains that annually, the Canadian police seize tens of thousands of illegal weapons yet they only capture hundreds of the weapons at the border (p.1). The statistics reveal the laxity of security at the Canada-US border. The weapons pose greater threats in the streets than they could if the security agencies arrested their peddlers at the borders. CBSA, the Canadian security agency that checks the entry points for illegal weapons recovered 693 such weapons along the Canada-US border in 2011. In the same year, the Canadian police, according to McKie (p.1), captured 33,727 illegal firearms along the streets in Canada. The sharp variations prove that more firearms escape through the borders than the ones the security agencies capture.
Canada must strengthen its cooperation with the US security agencies to increase the efficiency of its border security. The Canadian Economic Action Plan, 2013, makes a different claim from that of the empirical studies on the country’s border security. The action plan states that there has been a long history of good cooperation between the governments of Canada and USA to enhance security between the borders of the two countries. Apart from ensuring that the citizens of the two countries are secure, the cooperation ensures that the countries remain closed from cross-border terrorism (Canadian Economic Action Plan p.1).
The need for security at the border becomes a serious factor considering the volume of trade between Canada and USA. In 2009, USA relied on Canada for a trade volume of more than $592 billion. The country also accounted for USA’s 8 million job opportunities in the same year. The statistics show how the economy of USA depends on that of Canada. In other words, USA needs to take the issues of cross-border security between it and Canada seriously because insecurity in Canada is a threat against USA’s economic prosperity. However, the border between Canada and USA is vast, and it could be one of the reasons the two governments find it challenging to prevent the illegal weapons from crossing the border to Canada. The border’s distance is 8,891 kilometers long (Canadian Economic Action Plan p.1). The border has important economic roles to both countries because there are tourist and business activities across the border. Within a minute, the border can facilitate a trade volume of $1 million if it remains safe from the illegal arms (Canadian Economic Action Plan p.1).
The threat of poor security along the border could be a historical one, meaning that Canada only took the matter seriously recently. It was after the 2001 terrorist attack in USA that Canada started investing heavily in the security of the border. From 2001, the investments that Canada has made on the security of its border with USA are worth $10 billion (Canadian Economic Action Plan p.1). However, the government reports on the state of security at the border suggest that it is in good security yet the number of illegal arms in the Canadian streets increase each year.
The government of Canada only takes the issue of security with its implications on trade between it and USA. The perspective of the government should be on humanity, especially the need to protect the lives of Canadians from terror attacks. US-Canada Relations explains that the reason the two governments emphasize on border security is to maximize their “economic competitiveness,” (p.1). Such a perspective is wrong because in case of changes in the economic policies of the two countries, their investment in border security shall divert to other areas. However, if the government of Canada considers that the lives of the citizens are at risk because of the porous borders, it shall invest more on its security to improve the lives of the citizens. It is, therefore, not enough to maximize cooperation on border security just for business reasons, which is the current situation.
Furthermore, lack of good security at the Canadian borders exposes USA and other countries that terror groups target. According to a newspaper report that Michael Bolen wrote, USA is worried that ISIS terrorists could access America through the porous border. John McCain expresses his concern about the porous border between Canada and Mexico, citing the need for the Canadian government to put more security controls on the borders. Bolen (1) reports that the ISIS terrorists have posted messages about their intention to attack USA. McCain worries about the porous borders between USA, Mexico, and Canada, a factor that could easily facilitate the ability of the ISIS terrorists to penetrate into USA through Canada or Mexico. Canada should not treat the threats lightly because the ISIS terrorists have threatened USA. In case of a terror attack in USA, the economy of Canada is bound to face challenges. In addition, there are many Canadians who live and work in USA. Increasing Canada’s border security is, therefore, a way of securing the lives of its citizens in USA besides protecting its economic interests in the country (Bolen 1).
The ability of Canada and USA to deal with the problem of illegal immigration relies on how the two countries shall solve the problem of their porous borders. It is imperative that solving illegal immigration between Canada and USA must include maintaining tight security checks at the border. People who migrate between Canada and USA must possess all the required documents that must be valid. However, achieving the objective becomes difficult if the movement of people across the border remains unchecked.
As the student noted earlier, the problem of the porous Canada-US border is a historic one, and this makes it difficult to solve the problem. Andreas notes that the long and porous border between USA, Canada, and Mexico has provided the space for illegal entry for decades (Andrea 1). Andrea explains that history supports the fact that the borders between the three countries have been insecure for a long time. Historical details are contrary to the claims that the government makes about the stability of the Canadian border with USA. During the colonial times, the worry about movement across the border was more on the movement of goods than people (Andrea 1).
USA has also had the long tradition of welcoming illegal immigrants from Canada and other countries, and such trends have increased the laxity of security at the USA-Canada border (Andrea 1). The two countries have attempted to promote free trade between them by lessening the restrictions on human movement across the borders. Sadly, though, people like drugs and weapon smugglers, terrorists, and illegal immigrants have taken advantage of the situation. This explains why the Canadian police have seized more illegal firearms on the Canadian streets than at the borders.
Some of the public places that have been trusted for long have become the accomplices in the trade of illegal weapons between Canada and USA. An example of such public places, according to Hopper (1) is the Haskell Free Library that is on the Canada-US border, on the US side. Hopper explains that in 2011, a pair of hand-gun traders allegedly walked into the library and traded on the illegal hand guns they possessed. They walked out of the library with $18,000 after selling their weapons from inside the library.
The student refutes the claims that the two governments have made concerning their efforts and strategies to enhance security at the border. The plans have remained elaborate on paper but the governments have not implemented the policies. In fact, Canada’s Economic Action Plan states that “The Canadian Government is always looking for the ways of improving security at the border,” (p.1). The statement shows the despair with which the government of Canada has failed to improve security at the border. One of the strategies that the action plan enumerates is the strengthening of combined border-management by both Canada and USA. However, such a policy may not succeed if the two countries, especially USA, do not change their approach to border management. There is need for the two countries to abolish the free-border-movement policy. They should increase security presence at the borders. They should also identify the places where illegal businesses occur along the borders, for example, the Haskell Free Library.
There is need for Canada to understand the nature of crime at the border. Identifying and comprehending the types of crimes and the nature of their committers is an important step towards improving illegal business across the border. The old methods have failed to solve the problems of illegal immigration and trade in illegal firearms. In the past, for example, Canada’s Economic Action Plan reports that there has been the “cross-border crime forum” (p.1), and that 2012 marked the 15th anniversary for the forum. It is likely that the government of Canada has not implemented the suggestions of the forum. Alternatively, the forum has been providing the wrong suggestions that have not solved the issue of poor cross-border security between Canada and USA.
Canada must take a new approach to improving the porosity of its border. In the past, there has been a lot of cooperation between Canada and USA through bilateral security policies. However, Canada must understand that historically, USA has encouraged porosity of its borders for personal reasons. Through the cooperation policies, Canada may easily surrender the management of its borders to USA yet history proves that USA has not given much attention to making its borders less porous.
Canada also needs to understand the places with high vulnerability. Lake Erie is one of the risky places that terrorists can easily exploit to launch attacks on USA and Canada. Proctor reports an experiment that a security researcher, O’Keefe, did on Lake Erie. In his experiment that covered a distance of 45 miles into USA across the lake, O’Keefe used a person who posed as a terrorist from ISIS. The ‘terrorist’ managed to cover a distance of 15 miles into the USA’s coast without the security personnel detecting him (Proctor 1). A captain says in the experimental research that he has never seen any security patrol activity taking place on the lake. It means that USA and Canada have ignored Lake Erie’s security, increasing the possibility of ISIS terrorists exploiting the lake to launch terror attacks in US and Canada. Canada should deploy security patrols on Lake Erie as a way of reducing the porosity of its border with USA. It is not correct for the government of Canada to concentrate its security on land while ignoring the lake as an entry point for the terrorists.
The immigration laws of Canada have also encouraged the porous borders. The laws are not different from USA’s traditional approach to immigration. Proctor describes the regulations as based on an “honor system.” When people move from Canada to USA on Lake Erie (and vice versa), the security personnel simply expect the people to check themselves and ensure they do not carry illegal possessions. Such an approach is a major cause of proliferation of illegal weapons in Canada. It makes it easy for an individual to smuggle illegal weapons and other products into either Canada or America.
The current state of the border between USA and Canada poses serious security threats for the two countries. Research has proven that the border is highly porous and it is very easy for ISIS and other terrorist groups to exploit the borders and launch dangerous attacks. It is also easy to move with hand guns and other illegal weapons, especially across Lake Erie. Canada must increase its security patrols on the lake because it is a place with high threat of illegal immigration and transportation of weapons. Canada needs to drop its honor system of conducting security checks on the lake. The problem with the system is the high likelihood of terrorists and smugglers dishonoring the need for the checks.
There are acts that Canada and USA have developed to maximize security on the border. One of such acts is the “Intelligence Reform and Terrorist Prevention Act,” (Numbers US Action 1) of 2004. The problem with such acts is that they do not receive the support of the government through funding. Although the above act increased the number of border-security agents to 100,000 by 2010, the government of USA did not fund the act, and its implementation failed.
Conflicts between different departments have also made the implementation of some acts difficult. In 2006, USA developed the “Secure Fence Act,” (Numbers US Action 1). The act targeted the areas where there were high frequencies of smuggling and unlawful migration between Canada and USA. The act could enable USA to build a barrier wall of seven-hundred miles in the areas where the smuggling activities and unlawful movement were high. The other provisions in the act were to increase the number of guards that patrolled and conducted security checks at the border and to construct vehicle barriers. Sadly, however, USA’s Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Congress failed to agree over the cost of the project, and the disagreement denied the project the funding that it required.
The new cross-border deal between Canada and USA could improve security at the border. It is a new approach that the countries feel will improve the security at the border. In the new deal, the two countries shall combine their systems of screening travels across the border. However, the success of the new deal may not be assured. It is because the new deal is based on the 2011 action plan of “Beyond the Border Security,” (QMI Agency 1). The new deal empowers the US security personnel to screen all the people who move from Canada to USA. The challenge with the new deal is that it handles security in one way, with the USA security detail being considered as superior to Canada’s. The deal reduces Canada’s participation in the security checks because it does not specify if the Canadian security guards have the authority to check the people who move into Canada from USA. Such assumptions can lead to the collapse of the new deal, a factor that shall only worsen the vulnerability of the border to illegal movements.
In conclusion, the challenge of cross-border insecurity requires the serious attention of the Canadian government. It appears that the Canadian government has given up the role of enhancing its border security to USA. Canada’s biggest challenge has been the increasing number of illegal weapons on the streets. On the contrary, the security personnel at the borders only arrest hundreds of people with illegal firearms at the borders. It means that the country does not conduct proper checks at the borders. It also means that the smugglers have found alternative routes for transporting the firearms safely, e.g. across Lake Erie.
Lake Erie is a potential destination where smugglers and terrorists can utilize because they are just required to check themselves. It means that the government has failed to fund patrol and security checks on the lake. The government, therefore, needs to deploy more security officers on such areas to reduce the rate of proliferations of illegal arms, drugs, and unlawful immigrants. Canada should not assume that USA has kept tight security on the border. After all, history shows that USA has had a history of free movement across the borders. USA has also developed good policies for increasing security at the border. However, its different security arms and the Congress have failed to agree on some of the acts, denying them the required finances.
The new deal of combining the screening systems of the two countries has the potential to increase security at the border. However, the deal gives more preference to USA than Canada. It specifies, for example, that USA’s security officers shall screen all people from Canada to USA. However, Canada’s role in the screening process is not clear. If Canada and USA want to improve border-security, they need to develop approaches that give both countries equal powers to act on security checks/screening. Canada should also stop looking at border security in terms of trade between it and USA. The need to protect the lives of Canadians should have the biggest preference.
Works Cited
Andrea, Peter. “America’s Borders, Porous from the Start,” The Boston Globe. March 3, 2013.
Document URL: http://www.bostonglobe.com/ideas/2013/03/03/america-borders-porous-from-start/OUF92CcYcpCFbAeruuKwKO/story.html
Bolen, Michael. “John McCain Warns ISIS Terrorists may Cross through the Canadian-US
Border,” The Huffington Post, November 11, 2014. Document URL: http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2014/09/11/john-mccain-canada-border-jay-carney-isis_n_5804292.html
Canada’s Economic Action Plan, “Canada-US Border Cooperation,” 2013. Document URL:
http://actionplan.gc.ca/en/page/bbg-tpf/canada-us-border-cooperation
Hopper, Tritin. “Gun Runners and Border Jumpers Making a Mockery of Security on Porous
Quebec-Vermont Crossing,” The National Post. October 30, 2012. Document URL: http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/10/30/gun-runners-and-border-jumpers-making-a-mockery-of-security-on-porous-quebec-vermont-crossing/
McKie, David. “Gun Seizures up but fear of Porous Border Remains,” CBC News. May 1, 2013.
Document URL: http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/gun-seizures-up-but-fears-of-porous-border-remain-1.1413450
Numbers USA Action, “Improve Border Enforcement,” 2015. Document URL:
https://www.numbersusa.com/solutions/improve-border-enforcement
Proctor, Marie. “O’Keefe brings attention to the Open Northern US Border,” September 8, 2014.
Document URL: http://www.breitbart.com/texas/2014/09/08/okeefe-brings-attention-to-porous-open-us-northern-border/
QMI Agency, “Canada, US Announce New Cross-border deal,” March 16, 2015. Document
URL: http://www.torontosun.com/2015/03/16/canada-us-to-announce-new-cross-border-deal
US-Canada Relations. Embassy of the United States, Ottawa Canada. N.d. Document URL:
http://canada.usembassy.gov/canada-us-relations/border-issues.html
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