Angry in the Great White North

The Canadian government has entered into a reciprocal agreement that would simplify the process that allows Canadian and American law enforcement officers carry their weapons while operating in either country. Though the regulation speaks of law enforcement officials of other countries, the emphasis is on American officials.

Of course, being about guns and Americans, Canada's left is up in arms:

The federal government would not comment on the proposal, which NDP justice critic Joe Comartin said would give "carte blanche" to foreign police officers.

"Canadians aren't generally speaking enamoured with guns. I don't think they'll be very happy to find out foreign police forces are operating in our country, armed," Comartin told CTV News.

Comartin and Dan McTeague, Liberal MP and opposition critic for consular affairs, decried the lack of public consultation by the government on the proposal.

McTeague said he understands it's important to expedite the ability of federal air marshals to do their job.

"This, however, opens the door to a number of real concerns that I don't think police or politicians or Canadians have had a chance to look into," McTeague told CTV News.

"Issues of sovereignty, issues of the kind of guns and duty weapons that are being brought in, may very well be inconsistent with the laws we have on prohibition of weapons."

McTeague pointed to a 2005 incident in which U.S. police crashed through the border, firing their guns at a suspect who tried to escape into Canadian territory at the Detroit-Windsor border.

It was a "very serious issue and brought into question of sovereignty and the question of reach here," said McTeague.

Let's consider the question of sovereignty at the border. Under the Liberals, Canada seemed to not care one jot about sovereignty at the border:

[Canadian Border Services Agency spokeswoman Faith St. John] said the agency received the warning at about 4:30 p.m., local time, from its American counterpart that an armed suspect might be heading towards the border.

"CBSA officers exercised their right to refuse work about half an hour later at the Douglas (Peace Arch) and Pacific Highway border crossings," she said.

The walkout then spread to the Huntington crossing 80 kilometres east of Vancouver.

It's the third incident in a month when a Canadian border point closed as unarmed officers fled over the threat of armed Americans approaching.

The Northgate Report alleged that successive Liberal governments rejected repeated recommendations to arm border guards. According to Northgate, reports that made these recommendations were altered by government officials before being released.

Maybe Liberals think sovereignty means being different. If American border officials are armed, ours won't be. That's an expression of Canadian sovereignty to a Liberal. If American border officials defend the border, ours won't. That's an expression of Canadian sovereignty to a Liberal.

In fact, Canadian border officials have in the past depended on armed US officers being willing to bring their firearms over the border:

It was discovered that U.S. Customs management has directed their Officers to not take their sidearms with them if they go into Canada to assist Canadian Officers. Fortunately for some Canadian Officers, this policy appears not to always be strictly followed. The reliance on U.S. Customs by some Canadian border locations is a verifiable sign of the risk to the lives of Canadian Border Services Officers and further demonstrates the need to provide sidearms to Officers in these locations.

At a minimum of 12 locations (see Table 12), U.S. Customs and/or Canadian Border Services Officers reported incidents of U.S. Customs providing an armed back-up to CBSA Officers. Northgate associates suspect it occurs at other remote POE across Canada.

At the locations listed in Table 12, U.S. Officers, some of whom were interviewed for the Study, would keep watch of the Canadian PIL. When they saw a car sit too long in the lane, they would walk over to see if the Canadian Officer needed assistance. Officers also did not wait for the U.S. to wander over and check on the Canadian Officer and called U.S. Customs requesting their armed assistance.

Also interviewed was one Officer who stated he hit his PASS panic button during a dangerous situation, because he knew the PASS panic button system automatically called U.S. Customs first.

Under the Conservative government, border guards will be trained and armed:

The newly-elected Conservatives say they will make good as soon as possible on their leader's pledge to arm Canadian border guards, following a shootout on the Canada-U.S. border on Tuesday night.

The Conservative MP for the area says when Canadian border guards are facing a gun fight, batons and pepper spray just won't do. "It simply reinforces the fact that our customs officers work in a very dangerous situation," said Russ Hiebert.

"And as a Conservative government we're committed to giving them the resources and the equipment. And that includes giving them the sidearms that they need to handle these kinds of dangerous situations."

The union says border guards will continue to refuse to work whenever they feel threatened, until the government delivers on its promise to give them guns.

And as for the threat to Canada's sovereignty, the fact is that the real threat has been from institutionalized Liberal government inaction that has forced Canadian border guards to let the Americans become the de facto armed defence of Canada. Canadian border officials allowing Americans to bring their weapons over on an ad hoc basis undermines our sovereignty, not an agreement that formalizes and codifies the practise in a transparent way. Now that our officers will be given the tools they need to stand guard at the border, Canada's sovereignty is on a more secure footing. Entering into an agreement that allows both Canadian and American officers pursue their duties across the border when required strengthens both sides. Better yet, the border will cease to be the goal line for criminals fleeing authorities, and that makes us all safer.