Friday, September 14, 2001 Back <http://www.herald.ns.ca/stories/2001/09/14/fOpinion.html#129.raw> The Halifax Herald Limited _____ Canada will be forced to fall in line By James Travers / The Toronto Star Ottawa - IN THE GRIM aftermath of the deadly, unprecedented attacks on New York and Washington, Canada's critical international relationship will be tested and it will be changed. From North American defence to the free flow of commerce and people across the undefended border, nothing will be as it has been. What must change first is Canada's reputation as a soft touch and staging point for those determined to bring their bloody disputes to this continent. Unless this country quickly demonstrates that it is a secure as well as a good neighbour, the 49th parallel will slam shut, jeopardizing the $1 billion in trade that flows south every day. John Kirton, a respected University of Toronto political scientist, is right when he says that suspicion of foreigners will shape U.S. policy in the coming months. Inevitably, that distrust will again raise troubling questions about a porous northern border and Canada's proud history of welcoming the world. That is what happened in the first weeks of the new millennium after Ahmed Ressam tried to smuggle a car loaded with explosives across the border from British Columbia. And, as U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell promised Wednesday, it will happen again now that it is known that at least some of those responsible for this week's horrors slipped into the U.S. from Canada. Canada now has no choice but to be an eager partner in what Kirton predicts will be "a massive program to protect America." Ottawa's goodwill will be demonstrated by speedy passage of a new immigration act that only months ago was labeled draconian. And it will be demonstrated in suddenly enthusiastic support for controversial legislation that would strip charitable status from ethnic groups raising funds here for offshore violence. But that won't be nearly enough for either the U.S. or police and security forces here that are frustrated by this country's long history of failure to intercept or remove even those with criminal records. They point to Mahmoud Mohammed Issa Mohammed - a Palestinian who remains in Canada 13 years after it became public that he was involved in a fatal hijacking in Greece - as proof the system puts soft sensibilities between justice and security threats. Along with untold lives, the U.S. attacks blow away legitimate Canadian concerns that harmonization of immigration laws and border procedures will erode sovereignty. Those fears have been rendered nearly irrelevant by an ugly new reality. Canada, a country that has made a virtue of its innocence, suddenly finds itself in a cowardly world where the unthinkable is possible. Top security officials here say privately that any group that could successfully bring down the World Trade Center and strike the Pentagon is also capable of executing a biological or even limited nuclear attack. They argue that democracies with exposed infrastructures can respond only by tightening their borders and closing their fists. It would be reassuring if the world's guiding lights could extend their response to addressing some of the injustice that spawns blind hatred and the lunatic, unforgivable fanaticism that this week shattered so many lives. But that will have to wait while the walls of Fortress North America are reinforced. That work will begin at the G-8 group of leading industrial countries where proselytizing for globalization will give way to the new priority of security. The U.S., as it has made abundantly clear, will judge its friends by their willingness to join an uncertain struggle that will be long, dangerous and expensive. For Canada, joining will include muting much of its understandable opposition to the Son-of-Star Wars missile defence shield. While the events of this week strengthen the argument that missiles in space offer no defence to low-tech terrorism, raw fear gives unstoppable momentum to even suspect plans promising protection from rogue groups or states. How well Canada reacts to this new order remains to be seen. So far, Prime Minister Jean Chrétien has stood by the U.S. by safely landing flights here at the height of the crisis and by offering the condolences and logistical support expected of a friend. But to satisfy the U.S., a federal government that prefers to skirt controversial issues will have to make some tough choices. It will have to choose between the expectations of a neighbour that is also the last superpower and cherished Canadian values. Chrétien need not ride roughshod over the rights of refugees or uproot Canada's tradition as a middle power opposed to nuclear proliferation. But the health of the Canadian economy and the belligerent U.S. mood demand that he reassure Washington that it has nothing to fear when it looks north. James Travers is a national affairs writer for the Toronto Star THE END ==^================================================================ EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?bUrHhl.bVKZIr Or send an email To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] This email was sent to: archive@jab.org T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================
