RCMP ‘to ease Canadians into the idea’ of U.S. agents in Canada

Yahoo News Canada ^ | May 22, 2012 | Andy Radia

[JerseyanExile]

Uncle Sam could soon be coming after you on Canadian soil.

According to an article in Embassy Magazine, the Harper government is moving forward on several initiatives that could give U.S. FBI and DEA agents the ability to pursue suspects across the land border and into Canada.

But, according to a RCMP officer, they're doing it in "baby steps."

"We recognized early that this approach would raise concerns about sovereignty, of privacy, and civil liberties of Canadians," RCMP Chief Superintendent Joe Oliver, the Mounties' director general for border integrity, told the Senate Committee on National Security and Defence on May 14.

"We said 'Let's take baby steps, let's start with two agencies to test the concept, let's demonstrate to Canadians and Americans that such an approach might work."

Baby step 1, according to Embassy Magazine, has already happened in the form cross border pilot projects allowing Canadian and American agents in each others waters.

Step 2 is the 'Shiprider' program which will make it permanently legal for U.S. agents to be certified as police in Canadian waters. This is on track to be passed into law by the Harper government's omnibus budget bill, C-38.

And step 3, is to roll out cross-border policing over land.

Embassy also notes that the government is not ruling out U.S. aerial surveillance over Canadian territory.

These initiatives are part of the much-touted perimeter security initiative between Washington and Ottawa, designed to provide a thicker wall of security around the continent while easing trade barriers at the borders.

Critics have bemoaned the loss of Canada's jurisdiction and sovereignty over the new policing measures but Canadian officials insist it's needed.

"Criminals are exploiting the fact that we have to respect our boundaries and we have to stop at the border," Oliver said.

[SatinDoll]

This is crazy. I hope it would be as unpopular with Canadians as the reverse would be unpopular with Yanks or Mexicans.

[SWAMPSNIPER]

LEOs are sworn to protect and defend the Constitution, our Constitution, no other..

Canadian law enforcement should not be acting within the USA.

[SWAMPSNIPER]

LEOs are sworn to protect and defend the Constitution, our Constitution, no other..

Canadian law enforcement should not be acting within the USA.

[Navy Patriot]

This will quickly turn to manure.

Just wait till the Canucks get a taste of Fast & Furious.

[American in Israel]

What the hell, we are invading everywhere anyway.

Whats a little Fascism between friends. I am sure if the Canadians promise to surrender their sovereignty, we will not shoot them as we chase down those nasty Tea Party types.

[American in Israel]

Of course, if the invading troops are killed, Canada is within its rights.

[Bobalu]

This is insane :-(
I’m ashamed of this ill-conceived scheme.

[Smokin' Joe]

Canadian law enforcement should not be acting within the USA.

...and vice-versa.

Forget where the border is, and someone is going to get killed.

[A.A. Cunningham]

[tarheelswamprat]

I recognize Diefenbaker, but who’s the mountie with him? /g

[mkjessup]

We've seen this bad movie before ... Sudetenland, 1938 and now about 75 years later:

[wally_bert]

Never watched DS during the network run but discovered it on TNT reruns and love it very much. The DVDs and CDs are around here.

[kearnyirish2]

If Canada allows this then they retroactively lost the War of 1812.

I’m sure that they at least won’t allow the agents to be armed...

[Joe Boucher]

Hey Canucks, you’d be smart to keep American Nazi’s, I mean American federal agents out of your country or they will certainly screw youse guys up too.

[golux]

1. Just what the Maritime Provinces need: more harassment at sea from local badges and international cooperation on everything EXCEPT booting the stock-depleting Jap and Russky factory ships off the shelf.

2. Just what Canadian Law Enforcement needs: more paperwork and bilingual cross-bureau hierarchical confusion.

Solution: Convince the Quebecois Ministers of Parliament that they must only agree to this if ALL U.S. reports are filed in long-form in both French and English.

The US will be back on their side of the border before the christ' de tabernack de colis de Poutine gets cold.

[Kenny Bunk]

I predict this will only last as long as it takes a DEA SWAT to go to the wrong Inuit trailer and shoot a sled dog. I.E., 24 hours or less.

[phockthis]

sfl

[tbw2]

Could Americans be going up to Canada with thousands of dollars to buy gold, vehicles, guns, supplies and etc. to avoid reporting to the IRS of the cash, profiling by Homeland security or confiscation in the name of drug profit forfeiture?
If so, the DEA moving up there would make Americans spending lots of cash in Canada subject to the same cash seizure and IRS rules as Tennessee has been doing - insurance adjuster with 12K, someone with 5K cash to buy a car - they take the cash as suspicious and don’t even always give it back after court cases.

[tbw2]

There are dual American-Canadian citizens. The IRS has already been harassing dual citizens and even children of American citizens who have never left Canada for taxes. The IRS sent hundreds of thousands of collections to Canada in the past 1-2 years to dual citizens. Imagine what happens if these border crossing law enforcement folks start trying to enforce our laws from property seizure to “you have too much cash we can’t explain so we are taking it”.