Back-Door Protectionism

An article from the Globe and Mail caught out eye: Ms. Janet Napolitano, Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, has stated that the U.S./Canadian border will be treated like "a real border," as she put it. “I've never actually spent much time on the Canadian border,” admits the Secretary, adding that she had commissioned a study to help educate her on the - dare we say lengthy? - subject.

This move by the Secretary is an ominous one; as the Globe and Mail put it, this is a "tariff-in-all-but-name." It is a bad precedent to set, as it is effectively an aggressive, protectionistic stance against the United State's far-better-off northern neighbour. Canada has a sounder banking system, and a sounder economy as a whole. The Secretary, in isolating the United States from the valuable asset that is Canada, is doing a very terrible disservice to her employer: the Citizens of the United States.

At the same time, though, we are not surprised by this new policy from the Obama Administration. If the Administration is indeed serious about creating jobs for Americans - any jobs will do - at all costs, then the relative soundness and functionality of Canada no longer seems like an asset for an ailing nation. Instead, Canada begins to look more like a threat. As the 2007 Depression continues, we would not be surprised if more anti-Canada policies, like this border-tightening, continue to appear.

In closing, we wish to repeat what the Globe and Mail observed at the end of the article:

"It seemed to be another lesson learned: when it comes to national security, the Obama administration's policies are often consonant with its Republican predecessor."