Politics: U.S. & Canada Out-Of-Step On Major “War” Fronts

The United States and Canada agree on nearly everything. To be sure, there are some differences; mostly revolving around Cuba and a few squabbles over trade issues. During the Vietnam war, of course, Canada became “a haven from militarism” and refused to turn U.S. draft dodgers and deserters over to U.S. authorities, but many feel that was part of a secret deal to keep American prisons and military stockades from overfilling. For the most part there's not a whit of difference between the two countries and Canada can be depended upon to support the U.S. in all regards.

In recent months, however, the Canadians have disagreed with U.S. policy on two major fronts. The first, involving the infamous “war on drugs,” may eventually change our own outlooks and policies on recreational drug use. The second concerns our newly evolving policies on “homeland security,” and may serve to help us develop policies that protect us from outside threats without trampling on human rights in the process.

It probably didn't come as much of a shock to most Americans when, in September, a Canadian parliament committee called for legalizing marijuana use by adults, putting pressure on Canada's federal government to shift drug laws away from the zero-tolerance policy of the United States. What probably surprised some was the fact that support for this measure came from both conservatives and liberals.

The report by the Senate Committee on Illegal Drugs recommended that criminal records for possession of marijuana should be erased, and for the nation to adopt a system to regulate marijuana in the same way as it regulates alcohol. It also called for immediate action to be taken to permit eligible medical patients to legally obtain marijuana.

“There is no good reason to subject the consumers of cannabis to the application of criminal law,” said Sen. Pierre Nolin of the Progressive Conservative party. “In a free society as ours, it's up to the individual to decide whether to consume cannabis or not.”

According to Nolin, the government would avoid encouraging marijuana use, just as it doesn't encourage alcohol consumption. The consumption of both should be a matter of individual choice. “Scientific evidence overwhelmingly indicates that cannabis is substantially less harmful than alcohol and should be treated not as a criminal issue but as a social and public health issue," he said.

Nolin also said the committee's recommendations would be compatible with policies of important allies and trade partners like the United States. “Our relationships with our friends are solid enough to work-out the implications of what we are doing,” he said.

At present, marijuana possession is illegal in Canada, though police usually ignore its use. Last year, the government passed regulations allowing medical patients to grow and possess marijuana, but has not created a distribution network. The country already has a legal hemp industry that produces cannabis cultivated for products such as textiles. In the U.S., hemp production is also prohibited under federal law.

Another notable difference with U.S. policy came about on October 30 when the Canadian government issued a warning that urged their citizens born in Arab countries to think carefully before entering the United States. The Foreign Ministry issued the advisory after Washington stipulated that anyone born in Iran, Iraq, Libya, Sudan, or Syria would be photographed and fingerprinted on arrival in our country. The advisory also said Canadians born in Pakistan, Saudi Arabia or Yemen could attract special attention from U.S. border agents.

“It's not something we approve of and we've registered our strongest disapproval with the United States authorities," said Canadian Foreign Minister Bill Graham. “We can't tell the Americans what to do on their own territory. What we're telling them is that we don't accept this and we find it very troubling... I am certain that in due course common sense will prevail.”

The warning followed a controversial deportation of a Canadian citizen to Syria, his birthplace, by the United States. In this incident, agents at New York's John F. Kennedy airport arrested a Canadian they suspected of links to militant groups in late September, finally expelling him to Syria on Oct. 8. Mohamed Arar was arrested as he was changing planes on a trip to Canada from Tunisia. He is currently in detention in Syria, where authorities are attempting to discover whether he has links to groups such as al Qaeda.

Hussein Amery, president of the National Council on Canada-Arab Relations, said the new U.S. rules are clearly racial profiling and urged the Canadian government to continue to pressure the U.S. government on this matter.

“It certainly looks, smells and feels like racism...the Americans are certainly not treating Canadians as friends when they do this,” he said.

Good neighbors often help their neighbors to do the right thing. Canada has been the best of neighbors for over two hundred years. Perhaps it's time for us to listen to their advise.

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