Canada to arm border guards along U.S.

Merika · 09-10-2006, 06:29 PM

TORONTO, Canada (AP) -- Canada will arm its border guards starting in 2007, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Thursday.

Canada has unarmed guards along its 4,000-mile (6,435-kilometer) border with the United States, but Canada's will now be armed, as their U.S. counterparts are.

The government plans to arm and train its 4,500 border agents over the next 10 years. Harper said some will be armed starting in September 2007 and about 150 will receive guns by the end of March 2008.

The Canadian side of the U.S.-Canada border is monitored by the Canada Border Services Agency. They have been demanding guns to help them deal with cross-border criminal activity.

Officers abandoned their posts in British Columbia earlier this year when they were told that two murder suspects from California were headed their way, in an embarrassment to the former Liberal government. The men were apprehended by armed U.S. law enforcement officers.

Canada's Conservative party defeated the Liberals in elections last January and promised that they expected to arm border guards soon.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/americ...cnn_topstories
-------------------
First of all I had no idea they weren't armed. How can you possibly patrol a border without a farkin GUN? Second of all, why is it taking them until 2008 to correct this retardedness. It doesn't take that long to teach someone how to use a gun. If I were these guys, I would've quit this job a long time ago.

Luba · 09-10-2006, 07:33 PM

It's been a Canadian joke for awhile that they were armed with slingshots....
Have you seen the movie "Canadian Bacon" with John Candy?

Seriously though, it's ABOUT time!!!

Weiser · 09-10-2006, 07:48 PM

Windsor is the first place that they will get armed, right across the river from Detroit. It's been in the newspapers for a while now.

sweetbilly · 09-11-2006, 10:10 PM

Oh man i was hoping to jump the border and get a job making Canadian bacon, do you know how much Canadians pay for Canadian bacon? I can make a good living makin bacon for Canadians. Oh well, i guess i'll just have to file a law suit, organize a giant Pro-immigration march in your biggest city and wave an American flag above the Canadian flag as i call you racists and hatemongers. You canadians are anti-American racists, i need to feed my family too you know how dare you try to keep me out of your country :P HAHAHAHA

Merika · 09-11-2006, 10:52 PM

No Billy, we won't be acting like Mexico.

sweetbilly · 09-11-2006, 10:56 PM

Como? No hablas Canadian....

Duke · 09-11-2006, 10:59 PM

Why the hell would they arm our border guards? I think we have among some of the most ignorant border guards in the world, now they'll be packin' heat, oh no!

sweetbilly · 09-11-2006, 11:04 PM

LOL, only one answer to that: To keep illegal, terrorist, gun toting, George Bush loving, Americans out!! We always take Canadin jobs a, making Canadian bacon, anyways.

Weiser · 09-11-2006, 11:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Duke

Why the hell would they arm our border guards? I think we have among some of the most ignorant border guards in the world, now they'll be packin' heat, oh no!

I was going to post something along those lines in my first post, but it came out way too harsh. I'm glad you said it. I was going to say that our border guards are wanna be cop rejects who couldn't make the force and now abuse their power to make them feel better about their shoddy little lives. That's putting it nicely.

So instead I just wrote what I did up top.

sweetbilly · 09-12-2006, 12:10 AM

In all honesty, what do Canadians have to fear from Americans enough to arm their border guards? If we both keep our borders closed on the bad sides, Mexico being Americas bad side and Canada's bad side being, well, uhhh, i don't exactally see where Canada has a bad side.... we don't really have a need to arm the Canadian/American border do we?

I wasn't just making a joke, in all honestly I was trying to make a point. This kind of feels like a backlash against America or American policies to me. At least that's the way i percieve it. Could i be right, is Canada angry with Americans? Is it about our foreign policies, Iraq, George Bush being our president? Are we really that bad? Is Canada trying to start a war with America!?! OMG what a time for John Candy to die and Rhea Pearlman to take up a mini series, right when we are at the brink of war with Canada!!! Oh the humanity, the humanity!!! hehehe

Duke · 09-12-2006, 12:16 AM

When it comes to decisions like this, I don't think Canada is doing it for any other reason than in response to the US doing it. The only other reason I can suggest is maybe there is a rash of crime being caught at the border and maybe the guards feel their lives are in danger.

I also agree with Weiser in that our border guards are tards to useless to become cops so they are stuck at the border listening to people piss and moan about God only knows what. The fact that they'll now have side iron means now they can fantisize about actually being useful for something for the first time in their lives.

I know what Weiser means when coming across as harsh when discussing our border guards but the fact is, most of the ones I've met are complete arses. Personally, I won't cross the border unless I really have to and it's not because of waiting in line at the border, it's because I'm treated like a criminal whenever I cross.

sweetbilly · 09-12-2006, 12:28 AM

I wasn't aware the U.S was arming our guards at the northern border? Unfortunatly i think if we are arming our guards at the northern border it's prolly cause we have to ...because of our southern border. Otherwise we would be called racists and all kind of other vile crap by the illegal Mexicans here.

I personally don't even think there is a valid reason for Canada or the U.S to arm the northern border, i mean what are we gonna do throw bad insults at eachother :P