Van Loan signs border pact with homeland security head

Border security issues sat at the top of the agenda on the first day of a two-day conference between high-ranking officials on both side of the Canada-U.S. border.

Public Safety Minister Peter Van Loan met with Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano in Windsor on Tuesday. The pair will meet again in Ottawa on Wednesday.

After touring port operations on both sides of the border, the two signed an agreement allowing armed guards to patrol shared waterways and share information and resources.

Named Shiprider, the pact enables the RCMP and the U.S. Coast Guard to cross-train, share resources and personnel and utilize each others' vessels in the waters of both countries, such as the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway.

"[Shiprider will] combat smuggling, organized drug crime, gun trade and other criminal activity in shared waterways," Van Loan said. "This agreement sends a strong message to criminals that illegal activity will not be tolerated."

But the plan — which was pitched as an improvement on the previous system where officials could only pursue and arrest suspects in their own jurisdictions — is not without its detractors.

"Gunboats that fire 600 bullets a minute on the coast guard don't make a lot of sense in our region," Windsor MP Brian Masse said.

"We're entirely different than the Mexican border and [Van Loan should] throw that message down very sharply to her."

Heightened security awareness

Napolitano has raised eyebrows in Canada with criticism of the country's immigration policies, saying federal regulations are far more lax than those in the U.S. and that Canadian authorities allow people into the country who would not pass muster south of the border.

In addition to heightened interest in security issues overall but also because of pressure from a powerful Hispanic lobby in Washington, the U.S. government has come under increased pressure to step up security along its northern border and hold Canadian crossings to the same scrutiny as on the Mexican side.

Gunboats aside, trade issues also factored into discussions, as long waits and red tape have slowed commercial traffic between the two countries.

The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, which takes effect June 1, is intended to strengthen documentation requirements for everyone entering the U.S. from Canada. It mandates passports or special high-security driver's licences for all border crossers.

The move has raised concerns that it will choke commercial and recreational traffic on both sides of the border.

"We're looking to move to a more practical approach that focuses on addressing security in a way that is actually security-related," Van Loan said.