"Robert M. Gary" wrote:

BTW: When I got back from Canada yesterday the customs guy at Friday
was talking about how crazy the boarder is in Canada right now. He
said its unbelievable how easy it is for crazies to get resident
permits to live in Canada.

That's been a point of contention between the US and Canada for a number
of years. Canada has a more liberal immigration and refugee policy than
the US, and the US sees this difference as a back door that would
potentially allow people hostile to the US to get onto the North
American continent.

As proof, they cite the example of the person caught trying to smuggle
explosives into the US through Port Angeles, WA. However, also I recall
that the US tried to blame Canada for allowing the 9/11 hijackers into
the country, only to find that they pretty well all had directly entered
the US on valid visas. Trying to blame Canada suggests a certain
paranoia on the part of US authorities.

Canada suggests that the US concern is simply US xenophobia, and an
attempt to force Canada to adopt US foreign policies. (Canada has direct
relations with Cuba, for example, which seems to irk the US.) The feel
their refugee policy is appropriate and humanitarian given the problems
in the world.

Both countries have good arguments supporting their side of the issue.

He said the U.S. is 10 times more worried about the type of
people coming in from Canada than Mexico.

Now that's a knee slapper. Anyone who has spent any amount of time in
Mexico knows that it is a virtually lawless society. It is very easy to
enter that country and remain there. All you need to do is grease the
hands of a few of the right people. It would then be relatively easy
for a darker skinned person to blend in with the virtual flood of people
entering the US illegally every day.

He also said the U.S. has offered to train the Canadian boarder
patrol but they did not accept.

There is no Canadian Border Patrol. The function is handled by the
RCMP, the "Mounties." It seems condescending to suggest they need
training.