Whenever cross border cooperation with the Americans comes up, a knee-jerk reaction of some Canadians is too oppose the initiative on national sovereignty grounds.
The latest plan led by Stephen Harper has the misfortune of having been 'revealed' to the electorate rather than having been deliberated upon in the House of Commons. However, despite the lack of democratic input into the original decision, the new border plan is a good one so long as the Canadian negotiators can resist some of the Americans more unpopular demands, like sharing information on a 'No Fly List'.
As we all know, Canada's biggest trading partner is theUSA. Most of our trade flows across this border. Speeding up this process with new border facilities cannot but increase this trade that is vital to our economic growth.
Others might reject the plan because they view it as an unnecessary militarization of the "world's longest unprotected border". Opponents might also reject the plan in response to the view held by some Americans that the Canadian border is a porous conduit for terrorist activity.
It is true that security is one of the areas that both sides wish to improve, and rightly so. In fact, there are several real threats to Canadian society that originate south of the border. Guns from Buffalo and Detroit make their way to Toronto street gangs, where street violence has increased in recent years. Illicit drugs is another obvious threat. Mexican drug gangs have begun creeping their way northward, and are believed by the RCMP to already set up shop in Canada.
New border infrastructure that incorporates the latest technology will help us stem the flow of both of these US-originating harms, and keep Canadians safe.
That being said, an appropriate response to these problems requires rehabilitative programs, in addition to better school's and community programs, in the neighborhoods that are affected. A one-sided securitization of the issue will not by itself reduce the flow of drugs and guns.
Critics of the Harper's government should now focus on the merits of the plan itself, and not the sneaky way it was initiated. That latter conversation is tied into a much wider non partisan conversation about the nature and practices of Canada's political system.
Here is an editorial discussing the border plan along these lines.
Opening up the border
Wouldn't it be a better idea to solve the causes of the problems, rather than spending ever more on "security" which is really doing no more than keeping the lid on the symptoms?
ReplyDeleteThe cause of all this is the American lead war on drugs and the American loves affair with guns.
I think focusing on demand side solutions to drug problems is an all to often under appreciated and neglected portion of the battle. Surely people need to be rehabilitated from their drug problems. Heavy prison sentences for users and minor traffickers is a reflection of trying to deter deter the segment of the overall drug market that is most easily accessible for authorities.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, I think the government has a legitimate interest in keeping traffickers out of the country and limiting the inflow of drugs (supply-side solutions).
We need to use both demand-side and supply-side approaches in order to successfully reduce consumption of drugs and its associated societal affects. Users need to be rehabilitated while traffickers and producers continue to have their operations disrupted.