FROLITICKS

Satirical commentary on Canadian and American current political issues

Apr 1

Current Restrictions on Americans Entering Canada Tough to Take

by bcurry

Canada and the U.S. have the longest land border in the world, one which is normally open for Canadians and Americans to easily cross.  This all changed with the advent of COVID-19 last spring.  Except for essential trade items, land border restrictions for travel between Canada and the U.S. came into effect a year ago and remain in effect through April 21, 2021.  Given the current increase in coronavirus cases in both countries, the restrictions most likely will be extended.  Needless-to-say, this has had a horrific impact on tourism in both countries.

On the other hand, air travel between both countries does allow for the entry of Americans and Canadians into Canada and vice versa but with numerous restrictions.  All airline passengers aged two years and older must provide a negative COVID-19 viral test taken within three calendar days of travel.  Travelers entering Canada must present a credible 14-day quarantine plan.  Failure to provide a negative COVID-19 viral test will require airline passengers to take a COVID-19 molecular test upon their arrival in Canada.  Passengers then must stay in an approved hotel for three nights awaiting the results of the viral test.  Those who test positive are required to finish their 14-day quarantine in a Canadian government-designated facility.  All of this at the cost of the travelers, which can add up to thousands of dollars.

Failure to comply with the current Canadian border restrictions is a serious matter.  Compliance failure is considered an offence under the Quarantine Act and could lead to up to $750,000 in fines, and/or imprisonment of up to 6 months.  Something not to be sneezed at!  One can see that, unless someone is involved in essential work and is required to travel, most average Americans will avoid travelling to Canada by air or by land.  Indeed, except for essential workers such as truckers hauling goods across the border, most Americans are being turned away at the border crossings.  This is particularly tough on families where family members are located in both countries.  Allowing for entry because of humanitarian reasons is determined based on each individual case and can take time to adjudicate.  Good luck!

Fortunately, in their usual spirit of cooperation both countries have agreed to each other’s restrictions.  However, this does not make it any easier and numerous complaints have surfaced about the handling of situations involving both Canadians and Americans.  In the meantime, until this pandemic is truly under control, one can only predict that such restrictions will remain in effect for travel between the two countries in the coming months.  Both governments simply prefer that we don’t travel — period.

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Feb 4

Trump’s Latest Visa Restrictions Will Have A Negative Impact On Canadian Immigration

by bcurry

Well, here we go again! The Trump administration has just introduced restrictions on immigration to include six more countries, including Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation. You may remember that President Trump first introduced a travel ban in 2017, closing U.S. borders to citizens from seven countries, most of them with Muslim majorities. He is now targeting Nigeria, Sudan and Eritrea, already among the largest sources of refugee claims lodged by people crossing irregularly into Canada from the U.S.  The 2017 decision also signalled the end of the American program giving Haitians a reprieve from deportation.  That move prompted thousands of Haitians to seek asylum in Canada, with sometimes hundreds crossing at unmarked border points in a single day.

According to the most recent data available from Canadian authorities, Nigeria is currently the largest source country for border crossers, making up 14,621 of the 50,635 claims lodged between February 2017 and September 2019. The bizarre thing is that many of those crossing irregularly from the States are applying for refugee status in Canada, often as a result of lapsing temporary visas in the U.S.  There is little doubt that the latest visa restrictions are part of Trump’s attempt to do his level best to ensure that more refugees stay out of the U.S.  However, the policy has prompted thousands from these countries to seek asylum in Canada. Imagine, seeking asylum from government policies in the U.S.

Unfortunately, Canada shares one of the world’s longest borders with another country. The situation in the U.S. means that Canada has to devote more resources to policing its borders. In addition, the onus is now on Canada to physically accommodate and financially assist the thousands of new asylum seekers while their request for refugee status is reviewed and adjudicated by the Immigration and Refugee Board. Needless-to-say, the process is costly and time consuming, sometimes lasting months and even years.  For example, in 2017 according to the Immigration and Refugee Board, over 8,000 Haitians sought asylum in Canada. In 2018, that number was only about 1,500.

Homeland Security argues that the past and new restrictive visa measures were the result of failures by countries to meet U.S. security and information-sharing standards. Perhaps, what the Americans should be doing is to discuss with those countries ways and means to meeting such requirements.  Instead, the U.S. appears quite content to carry out exclusive policies when it comes to immigration and travel, most often targeting countries that they simply don’t like for one reason or another. Meanwhile, Canada, with its laws and its Refugee and Humanitarian Resettlement Program for refugees seeking protection from outside of Canada, has to deal with the overflow of desperate individuals and families fleeing the Trump Administration’s inhumane and extremist policies. Go figure!

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Jul 1

This Canada Day, We Stand On Guard For Thee

by bcurry

We celebrate July 1st in recognition of the 150 years since the formation of the country called Canada. The U.S. of course celebrates July 4th in recognition of its independence day.  The two countries have a lot in common, including the longest unguarded border in the world.  We fought two World Wars and the Korean War together.  Canadian troops served in Afghanistan. Canada and the U.S. formed the continental defence body called the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD). We share a common language “English”, although Canada also has “French” as a second official language.  Many Americans and Canadians work and play in each other’s countries.  Canada is America’s single largest trade partner and have a free trade arrangement in place, the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

However, since the emergence of President Donald Trump’s administration, the relationship between our two countries has seriously deteriorated to having now become the worst in decades. The relationship has not only soured because of the current re-negotiations respecting NAFTA and recent U.S. tariffs placed on Canadian steel and aluminum products, but because of Trump’s continuing personal attacks on Canadians, including our Prime Minister.  These and other attacks on our European and Latin American allies have further aggravated world tensions, both economic and political.  Trump’s protectionist and ‘America First’ policies may play well among his base in the U.S., but it is unravelling decades of international cooperation.

There are no winners in this current atmosphere of constant turmoil and instability, much of which is reflected in the stock markets in the U.S., Canada, Japan, Europe and China. Should the trade war continue, many experts predict that the world could be in for another major global recession.  Here in Canada, businesses, workers and consumers are preparing for the worst. As Canada now has an integrated economy with the U.S., industries like the automotive sector will suffer on both sides of the border in the advent of the imposition of further tariffs. Canadians perceive the imposition of American tariffs as a deliberate attack on the Canadian economy and have responded accordingly with new tariffs on a wide range of American products.  Indeed, there are now national ‘Buy Canadian’ campaigns aimed at promoting Canadian brands over American brands.  Numerous Canadians have already decided not to vacation south of the border, and mutual tourism will suffer.

Jobs will be lost on both sides of the border, but I’m certain that the economic impact will be worst for Canada as a trading nation. The results will be an increase in Canadian opposition to the Trump regime and a growing frustration with its unfair policies.  After all, Americans are supposed to be our friends and a good neighbour.  We have never taken this for granted.  However, Canadians are a proud people and will resist any such bullying tactics by external sources, no matter how difficult conditions may become.  The question then becomes how long these conditions will continue and how long it will take to mend fences in the future?  Your guess is as good as mine.  In the meantime, as Canadians we will stand on guard for thee.  Happy Canada Day! Oh yeah, and hopefully a happy Fourth of July!

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Jan 11

Relations Between Canada and U.S. Are at Their Worst in Many Years

by bcurry

Well, there is little doubt that we start off the New Year with relations between our two countries at their worst in many years. Let’s just summarize some of the issues at hand:

  •  With respect to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), President Trump wants to void the agreement in accordance with his America first policies. Canadian, American and Mexican negotiations are not going well and could break down entirely. In addition, increases in S. duties pertaining to Canadian soft wood imports and Canada’s recent complaint on American trade tariffs to the World Trade Organization, have not helped with the NAFTA talks.  Canada was left no choice in the matter.
  • With respect to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), on which Canada sits as a member, the U.S. is pressuring NATO partners to increase their defence spending as a proportion of the Gross Domestic Product. The U.S. is not happy with Canada’s current defence expenditures, despite Canada’s continuing contribution to the European defence scheme and its past military contributions to Desert Storm and to the war in Afghanistan.
  • On immigration, Canada has seen an increase in refugees crossing its borders from the U.S. because of fears that the Trump administration will end temporary programs — now over ten years old — that accommodated thousands of refugees who had fled natural disasters and violence in their countries. The programs’ termination will affect thousands of refugees from Central America and Haiti. For example, in January 2018, the U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security will decide whether to extend the Temporary Protected Status designation for El Salvador.
  • Trump’s declaration of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and his intention to move the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem is in direct contradiction to Canada’s stance which aligns itself with the United Nation’s position. Canada was forced to abstain from a recent UN vote on the American proposition to recognize the above policy. The Trump administration is also threatening to reduce its financial support for the UN and its activities.
  • The Trump administration’s position on ‘climate change’ is in direct opposition to Canada’s position, which along with the rest of the world supports the Paris Climate Agreement of 2015.

These are just a few of the conflicting positions taken by the Trump administration which cause major concerns for the current Canadian government. Ordinary people on both sides of the border remain friends and benefit extensively from the good political and trade relations that have existed for decades.  Canada fought alongside the U.S. in two World Wars, Korea and Afghanistan. Under the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), you have a U.S. and Canadian bi-national organization charged with the missions of aerospace warning and aerospace control for North America. Aerospace warning includes the detection, validation, and warning of attack against North America whether by aircraft, missiles, or space vehicles, through mutual support arrangements with other commands. Canada has cooperated with the U.S. in dealing with major cross-border environmental concerns, including mutual actions to clean up pollution in the Great Lakes and the building and maintenance of the St. Lawrence Seaway.

It’s sad that our neighbour’s government appears to no longer trust us! I firmly believe that the average American, like the average Canadian, still wants to strengthen this important relationship.  Until now, there is little doubt that our close relations have benefited both peoples.  Hopefully, Americans will come to see the potential damage to our relations should the Trump administration’s policies continue down its very rocky road.

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Feb 20

Just How Open Is Canada to Accepting Refugees?

by bcurry

In recent months — especially since the start of President Trump’s administration, his travel ban involving seven predominantly-Muslim countries and indications of plans to increase the deportation of illegal immigrants — a substantial number of people have crossed into Canada via the Manitoba and Quebec borders with the U.S. They are doing so in order to claim refugee status, despite having entered the U.S. as refugees or illegal immigrants. A number come from predominantly-Muslim countries such as Somalia. They are crossing at open border points to avoid being turned around at Custom’s land crossings due to the ‘Safe Third Country Agreement’ with the U.S. This agreement has been in effect for more than 12 years.  The agreement’s premise is that the U.S. is a perfectly good place to claim asylum, and people have to apply in which country they arrive in first.  So far, we are not talking about thousands such as is the case in Europe, but hundreds.

Already, there are some Canadian politicians, such as Michelle Rempel and Tony Clement of the federal Conservative Party, who are demanding that the federal government act to stop the flow of people illegally crossing the United States border into Canada. Just how you do this is not easy given the length of the open border!  Unlike President Trump, Canada has no intention of building a wall along the border. The resources necessary to police the entire border are simply not there.  These refugees, including women and children, are not seen as a security threat and normally present themselves to Canadian authorities in order to apply for refugee status.  The easiest way to stop the illegal border crossings is to suspend the Safe Third Country Agreement and allow people to request refugee status at official border crossings without endangering the lives of these people.

Public opinion in the past has been favourable as to the number of refugees coming to Canada. A recent poll by the Angus Reid Institute suggests that close to half of Canadians polled say the government has hit the mark with 40,000 total refugees (Syrian and other nationalities) expected to be entering the country this year. However, 41 percent say that the total is too high in what has become a notable split of opinion.  The reports of an increasing number of refugees crossing into Canada could influence future public opinion on the matter. The above poll also found that one-in-four Canadians believe that this country should have responded to President Trump’s executive order by adopting the same policy – including a temporary ban on Syrian refugees.

While legal immigration is important to Canada, the acceptance of refugees and their numbers is contentious, especially those that come from predominantly-Muslim countries where terrorism is a concern. There is a segment of the Canadian population that wants to restrict their entry and increase security vetting.  Whether or not you agree, there is no question that the refugee issue has become a touchy one.  Hopefully, Canada will not fall into the same illogical and ideological trap that occurred in the U.S.  However, there is little doubt that the question of how open Canada is to accepting more refugees will be severely tested in the coming months.

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Dec 16

With Donald Trump, What Can Canadians Expect in the New Year?

by bcurry

Back in July 2015, I blogged that Donald Trump could become the next president of the United States. Well, low and behold for all the reasons that I had alluded to back then, he is now the president-elect to the surprise of many.  Whether you like it or not, Americans will most probably be stuck with Trump and a Republican controlled congress for the next four years.  Indeed, his impact will no doubt be felt in the rest of the world, but in particular in Canada. After all, the U.S. is Canada’s biggest trading partner and political ally. Why is this so important?  Here are a few notable reasons based on past statements by Trump himself:

  • He plans to revisit the current terms of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) with Canada and Mexico.
  • He intends to increase border security measures, most likely forcing Canada to allocate more resources to the border.
  • He will nullify President Obama’s attempt to have greater relations with Cuba, a country with which Canada has long had economic and diplomatic dealings.
  • He wants Canada to greatly increase its defence spending, especially as it concerns the country’s contribution to the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
  • He will most likely support the proposed construction of the Keystone XL pipeline between the Alberta oil sands and the American Gulf Coast, despite continuing environmental fears.
  • He does not believe in ‘climate change’, and intends to pull the S. out of the Paris climate agreement which Canada supports through proposed carbon reduction goals.
  • Etc., etc., etc.

Just remember, when the elephant below Canada’s southern border sneezes, we catch a cold if not pneumonia! Trump’s unpredictability makes it even more difficult to predict what will happen next year.  At no time in U.S.-Canada relations have there ever been such potentially serious tensions and uncertainties.  Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will have to adjust quickly to the situation in order to maintain normal positive and reciprocal relations with the U.S. administration. On the other side, Americans, especially those living in the northern states along Canada’s border, must make it abundantly clear to Trump that good relations are extremely important to each country.  After all we are close friends who live, work and play together on a regular basis.  However, like any nation state Canada has every right to defend its interests — be they domestic or international.

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Dec 16

Sure, Let’s Put American Troops on the Canadian Border?

by bcurry

Well, listen up you weak-kneed socialist-loving Canadians. Republican candidate for President, Ben Carson, now says he wants soldiers and the national guard stationed not only along the Mexican border — but also at certain unspecified spots along the Canadian border.  Remember that last fall, former presidential candidate Wisconsin Republican Gov. Scott Walker had expressed interest in building a wall along the U.S.-Canada border. The Republicans appear to be implying that Canada is some sort of terrorist haven — with certain Americans expressing concern about Islamic State radicals crossing into the U.S. through Canada.

However, history has shown that the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and most recent Boston Marathon bombings and San Bernardino shootings were carried out by home grown American terrorists. So far, there has been little evidence of any large or small scale threat from Canada in terms of potential Islamic State radicals. If anything, Americans have more concerns about their own citizens who have travelled to the Middle East to join ISIS. Just as Canada is concerned about the few Canadian nationals who have done the same thing.

Let’s face it, both the U.S. Homeland Security and Canada’s Canadian Security Intelligence Service share their terrorist-watch lists. The Federal Bureau of Investigation and Royal Canadian Mounted Police are keeping an eye on potentially radicalized individuals in their respective countries.  Never-the-less, the most recent polls indicate that national security is now the No. 1 concern of American voters. I’m confident that this concern is right up there among key issues for Canadians.  However, additional security measures adopted more than a decade ago after the 9-11 attacks continue to impact trade and cross-border traffic.  Both countries have been looking at ways to ease the border backlog, partly by screening people at checkpoints away from the actual frontier.  After all, the U.S. is still Canada’s largest trade partner, and there is a lot at stake for the economies of both countries.

If dispatching American troops to the border with Canada makes Americans feel safer, so be it.  I doubt it very much if Canada would react in kind, particularly given that our armed forces have better things to do with their limited resources. Indeed, American troops may help to keep some gun smugglers from entering into Canada, given that the vast majority of illegal weapons have their origin in the States. Stopping access to guns by Canadian criminal elements is by far a much bigger issue for Canada.

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