Ahmed Ressam, a foUO\ver of bin Laden based in Montreal, was apprehended in 1999 while trying to smuggle 130 pounds of aplosives across the border at Port Angeles, Washington. His intentions were to destroy the Los Angeles airport while Americans were celebrating the new millennium. H ani Abd Rahim Al-Sayegh, suspected of participating in the bombing of the U.S. military barracks in Saudi Arabia, was caught while trying to assimilate with the community in Ottawa. It is known that dozens of organizations have been operating within Canada to promote the jihad and raise funds to finance bin Laden's network. It is possible that these individuals and their support organizations have found that Canada makes a convenient base to wage their war on the United States. With fairly liberal immigration and political asylum laws and an ineffectively protected border ,'Vith the United States, Canada makes an attractive staging ground for terrorist groups to relocate. Canada accepts nearly 30,000 foreigners seeking refuge status annually; most of who can remain in the country for years while their cases are heard in court. Even after being rejected, many manage to hide within the system. Over the past 5 years, Canada has issued thousands of deporTation warrants for people whose whereabouts are unknown. The United States has a legitimate concern that at least a few ofrhese unaccounted for people are moving within terrorist circles.
Ripon Forum • Winler 2002
A
hhough many of the terrorist groups found in Canada also exist in the United States, the soft approach towards combating terrorism that Canada has displayed in recent years has naturally become quite discomforting to Americans. Canada has admirably held true to its values of isolationism and pacifism, but it is time fot the Canadian government to become as tough as it was during the early 19705 when separatist extremists in {hiebec were conducting a bombing campaign. Then Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau authorized the tracking, arrest, and detention ofall suspected terrorists. Harsh by Canadian standards, the action was successful and the movement ,vas thwarted. With an apparently porous USCanada border, this kind of thoroughness is needed now because it seems American security is only as good as Canadian security. Without fu ll Canadian cooperation in curtailing potential enemies from entering the country, the United States would have to consider substantially increasing security along the border and strictly enforcing screening procedures at checkpoints. Such a move would be a financial burden for the US in staffing and implementation costs, but devastating to the Canadian economy. 85% of Canadian exports flow south to America and a third of all Canadian jobs depends on this commerce. Any interruption or slow-down in trade would have serious repercussions. It is fairly safe to say that Canada's economic survival depends on the free movement ofgoods between the countries. To be fair, Canada has gone Ihrough great lengths to meet American border concerns since September 11. On December 12, 2001, H omeland Security Director Tom Ridge and Canadian Foreign Min ister John Manley signed an agreement that contains several innovative 11