Border talks with U.S. fan sovereignty concernsLess Whittington, Toronto Star: In what could be the biggest challenge to Canadian sovereignty since free trade in the 1980s, Prime Minister Stephen Harper is secretly cooking up a deal with the Obama administration that would give Washington a much bigger say in Canada's border security, immigration controls and information-sharing with American law-enforcement agencies.
John Ivison, National Post: If this deal is not negotiated well, we may inherit the worst of all worlds -- a border that remains 'thick' with security apparatus, as well as increased American presence in Canada's North... This deal has the potential to dramatically alter our relationship with the elephant with which we're obliged to sleep. Canadians should look closely at its details to judge whether the price paid is worth it.
Barrie McKenna, Globe and Mail: The list of barriers seems to grow longer by the month... The United States doesn't fully trust what is done beyond its own borders, by Canadians or anyone else... The perimeter concept will remain a fantasy and a side-show.
Greg Weston, CBC: One highly classified government document... describes various political and communications issues connected with the perimeter security plan. It warns the 'safeguarding of privacy and sovereignty will be of concern to Canadians.' No kidding.
Montreal Gazette Editorial: Hearing the yet another Canada-U.S. security pact is in the world, Canadians could be forgiven for thinking, irritably, that satisfying American security needs has become a never-ending giveaway on their part... The proposed new security pact, called Beyond the Border: A Shared Vision for Perimeter Security and Competitiveness, calls for integration on a scale that could prove a step too far.
Thomas Walkom, Toronto Star: Canadians have little reason to think that the U.S. will be anything less than its by-now usual paranoid self... In short, another lose-lose deal. We give up much; we gain nothing. Very classic.
