Cheap politics (en francais)

For all those who think Paul Martin's "Captain Canada" act is smart politics, consider some of the ramifications. Just one of the things at stake is a potential $2 billion a year in tourist traffic. Ramping up the anti-American rhetoric may be good for scoring cheap political points for the Liberals, but the long term effects could leave us paying quite the price.

I have no problem with people disagreeing with George Bush or his policies, but we certainly don't have to go out of our way to do it. Martin's sliming of the Americans in Montreal was nothing more than righteous masturbation of the Canadian public. Considering his own governments' record on the Kyoto accord, Martin doesn't have a leg to stand on, let alone the slightest shred of credibility on this issue.

Martin's say anything, do anything attitude to maintaining power will eventually leave Canadians with a bill we can't afford to pay.

Critics warn pending U.S. border rules will deter travelers not terrorists

Updated at 15:08 on December 18, 2005, EST.

HOULTON, Maine (CP) - Wayne Darling used to be a frequent visitor to Canada, cruising across the border from his home state of Maine to do some shopping and sightseeing in New Brunswick and Quebec.

But now he never crosses the border and has pretty much given up on the idea, since he heard that he's going to need a passport or some sort of special identification to get back into the United States.

Even though the restriction don't come into full effect for another two years, Darling has already made up his mind.

"They brought that up a while ago, that we were supposed to have passports," Darling says on his way into a shopping centre in Houlton, Maine, near the New Brunswick border.

"We applied, but they told us it was going to cost about $100, so we just said to hell with it. We just won't bother to go over."

Critics of the American plan to require passports or secure identification to enter the United States say that Darling and his family are typical of the kind of people who will be caught in the anti-terrorism net being deployed along U.S. borders.

No one knows how many terrorists or criminals will be deterred, but there's little doubt that millions of cross-border shoppers and tourists will fall victim to the tightening security noose.

"I don't know that requiring soccer moms to have passports will make us safer," says Ken Oplinger, head of a Chamber of Commerce in Washington state, noting that all of the 19 terrorists involved in the Sept. 11 attacks had passports.

"It may only give us the illusion we're safer."

The passport requirement was recommended by the U.S. government's Sept. 11 commission and has been passed by the U.S. Congress.

It requires citizens of the United States and all other nations, including Canada, to have passports or secure identification when entering the United States.

Enforcement begins in 2007 for those travelling by air or sea, and one year later at land border crossings.

The Canadian Tourism Commission predicts 7.7 million fewer Americans will visit Canada in the following three years as a result of the change. The agency also estimates a drop of 3.5 million trips from Canada to the United States.

Frank McKenna, Canada's ambassador to the United States, warns it will cost Canada nearly $2 billion, mostly in lost tourism revenue.

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