The subject of Canada’s porous borders and terrorists is alive and well south of the border and well outside of Canadian media scrutiny, Toronto Free Press has discovered.
"I want to pass on to you up-to-date information in order to correct the out-of-date material from out-of-date sources upon which you are relying," Peter Boehm, Canadian Minister of Political and Public Affairs wrote Accuracy in Media Chairman Reed Irvine, in Washington, D.C., on July 18.
In his letter, on official Canadian Embassy letterhead, Boehm lectures Reed: "Canada also lost countrymen in the September 11 attacks, just as we have lost soldiers in Afghanistan. There should be no misunderstanding in America. Canadians are resolute in their commitment to protecting our mutual safety and security."
(Canada not only lost as Boehm put it"countrymen" on September 11, but indeed six Canadian countrywomen).
Boehm was apparently riled by Irvine’s comments in AIM’ s Editor’s Cuff on June 17, in which he criticized Canada’s "very foolish immigration policy, one that makes it easy for terrorists to enter Canada and from there get into the U.S."
Irvine, whose weekly column appears in many American newspapers, and who is often seen and heard on television and radio, wrote in Editor’s Cuff that (Canadian authorities) "have no way of checking on many of those who are granted asylum".
"Mr. Boehm says that Deputy Prime Minister Manley responded to a question from Steve Kroft (of 60 Minutes) about the charge that there are possibly 50 terrorist cells in Canada. He said `I think any number bigger than zero is not an acceptable number, but at the same time I think that what we’re trying to do is maintain, as is the case in the United States, that balance between having a free and open society, which is what we all treasure, and living in some kind of police state. None of us wants the latter.’
"WITH ALL DUE RESPECT TO THE DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER, THAT RESPONSE IS IRRESPONSIBLE," Irvine wrote. "When we are confronted with enemies who are threatening to escalate their terrorist attacks and employ weapons of mass destruction, it makes no sense to say that screening immigrants and rejecting those who have ties to those enemies or whose backgrounds indicate that they may have such ties is unacceptable. Americans have recognized that we have to tighten up the screening process to keep out terrorists. But the efforts we make to do so can be nullified if Canada allows them to enter freely. With our 5,500-mile lightly guarded border, anyone who is determined to get into this country to do us harm is very likely to succeed. We will not be able to think of Canada as a good friend if it doesn’t join us in trying to keep out our sworn enemies."
In his letter to Irvine, Boehm cited new legislation that took effect in Canada on June 28: "It contains measures to ensure that criminals and individuals, who are threats to public safety are kept out of Canada, and, if they have entered the country, that they are removed as quickly as possible."
He said that the legislation provides "aggressive tools" to arrest, detain and remove people and includes "a new permanent resident card" issued to all new landed immigrants that will provide new and existing permanent residents with clear, secure proof of their status."
A reading of the new Immigration and Refugee Protection Act by immigration lawyers indicates that it is really no different than the old act.
The New Act is stronger than the Old Act. But the problem is the enforcement of the law; not the law itself.
Citing U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft’s interview with the Toronto Globe &Mail and CTV, Dec. 4, 2001, Boehm is also under the misguided impression that it was Canadian authorities that provided "crucial information that allowed U.S. authorities to arrest Ahmed Ressam at the border south of Vancouver and foil his attempt to blow up the Los Angeles airport"
"It was the outstanding co-operation of the Canadian authorities, who alerted us to the situation and allowed us to take steps, that saved the lives of Americans."
In fact, it was a U.S. Customs officer who arrested Rassam because he looked nervous.
See Ahmed Ressam sidebarCanada Free Press founding editor Most recent by Judi McLeod is an award-winning journalist with 30 years experience in the print media. Her work has appeared on Newsmax.com, Drudge Report, Foxnews.com, Glenn Beck. Judi can be reached at: judi@canadafreepress.com
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