January 23, 2006
By ANGELA MULLINS
Times Herald
As Canadians head to the polls today to elect a new parliament, their choice of federal leaders could affect whether Canadian border agents are armed with guns.
Photo: RIGHT TO BEAR ARMS: Whether Canadian customs agents should be armed at U.S.-Canadian border crossings, such as the Blue Water Bridge, has become an issue in Canada's election today. The two major political parties are divided on the issue, with the Conservative Party backing the right of agents to carry guns while the Liberal Party believes armed guards at the border would project the wrong image of the country. (By MARK R. RUMMEL, Times Herald)
The country's two major political groups - the Conservative Party and the Liberal Party - are split on the issue, with the Conservatives in favor of the proposal and Liberals opposed to it.
While the issue - which has led border agents to walk off the job twice since November, leading to massive traffic jams at the Blue Water Bridge - hasn't played a large role in election debates or campaigning, some officials are hopeful the matter will be addressed in the 39th session of Parliament.
Regardless of which party wins today, political experts said the concerns of Canada Border Services agents likely will take a back burner to more hot-button topics, such as an ongoing scandal about how government officials spent money from a fund dedicated to promoting federalism.
HOUSE OF COMMONS: The major law-making body. In each of Canada's 308 constituencies, or ridings, the candidate with the most number of votes is elected. Ontario has 106 of the 308 seats in the House.
SENATE: Appointed by the governor general, usually with 105 members - 24 from Ontario. Senators are appointed on the recommendation of the prime minister and hold office until 75, unless they miss two consecutive sessions of Parliament. The Senate can initiate any bills except those that allow for spending public money or imposing taxes. Bills cannot become a law until they are passed by the Senate.
MAJORITY GOVERNMENT: In Canada, the party that wins the most seats in a general election forms the government. If the party wins more than half of the 308 seats in the House of Commons, then the party forms a majority government with the leader of the winning party becoming prime minister. A majority government can pass legislation and maintain the confidence of the House of Commons to stay in power much more easily than a minority government.
MINORITY GOVERNMENT: If a party wins just half, or fewer than half, of the seats in the House of Commons, then the party forms a minority government. Its leader also becomes prime minister. A minority government has to negotiate with other parties and adjust policies to get enough votes to pass legislation. A minority government must constantly work to maintain the confidence of the House of Commons or legislative assembly to stay in power.
OFFICIAL OPPOSITION: The political party that wins the second-highest number of seats in the House of Commons.
GOVERNOR GENERAL: The Queen's representative in Canadian Parliament. Appointed by the prime minister.
"Current scandalous stuff always trumps mundane detail-oriented issues," said Brent Forsgren, a political science professor at St. Clair County Community College in Port Huron. "It's like human nature."
RIGHT TO BEAR ARMS
Arming agents first came to the public's attention in U.S. border cities when, on Nov. 10, union guards walked off the job.
Citing what they called dangerous working conditions and a lack of adequate protection provided by the government, the border agents said the increased number of people crossing the U.S.-Canadian border with weapons has made them more vulnerable to attack.
The walk-off, which was repeated Jan. 10, left long lines of traffic backed up into downtown Port Huron and on Interstate 69 as supervisors rushed to man custom booths on the Blue Water Bridge into Point Edward.
The ferries running between Sombra, Ontario, and Marine City and from Walpole Island, Ontario, to Algonac were shut down.
Arming the guards could prevent further walk-offs.
"If that's what it's going to take to keep hours worth of traffic from coming here, then do it," said Brian Worth, 45, of Port Huron Township. "And, really, the whole thing is a safety issue. If (the guards) aren't prepared to handle a big situation quickly, things could easily get out of hand."
Now armed with safety equipment that includes pepper spray, protective vests and nightsticks, the issue of border agent security has been critical for about 15 years, said Ron Moran, national president of the Canadian Customs and Excise Union.
"Anything police officers (can) carry out may now be carried out by border officers," Moran said. "Only, we don't have the same protection."
A chance for change
Driven largely by a soaring number of shootings and gang-related activity in Toronto, the Conservative Party has included arming border officers as one of their objectives in the party's official election platform.
The Liberal Party, which for more than a decade has maintained the balance of power in Canada's federal government, has said arming agents is not the answer to safety.
Moran said efforts to work with Liberals on the issue have been futile, with government leaders, in part, maintaining that having armed border agents does not present the picture they want of Canada at the border.
"The Liberals have been very firm and unwavering on their position that they do not want to arm guards for outdated reasons," Moran said.
Roger Galloway, who is running as a Liberal Party incumbent in Sarnia-Lambton, said the years of discussion between bureaucrats and border guards is more a sign of government moving slowly than an outright refusal to meet demands.
"I'm not aware that there is a official (Liberal Party) line (on the issue)," Galloway said. "I suspect it is a question of government moves slowly. Government moves cautiously."
KEY ISSUES: Calls for cutting taxes, enforcing tougher penalties for violent crimes and beefing up the military, along with border security and relations with the United States. The Conservatives have focused on federal inquiries into corruption allegations against the Liberal Party. The Liberals have accused the Conservatives of having a hidden right-wing agenda to chip away at abortion and gay rights.
VOTING:About 22.7 million Canadians are registered to vote at 60,000 polling stations.
WHY: Under Canada's parliament system, the House was dissolved in November, when Martin's Liberals lost a vote of confidence. The New Democratic Party withdrew support of Liberals when they reneged on health-care promises and became mired in a corruption scandal.
With polls showing Conservatives leading the Liberals in today's race, officials who represent border agents said it could be the opportunity they've needed to push their cause ahead.
Approval to arm guards would not need approval from Parliament. Rather, it would only require an order from the administration.
Other factors
Sarnia Mayor Mike Bradley is among those who remains unconvinced that pre-election promises will come to fruition once Parliament resumes sessions.
Bradley, who is not represented by a political party as a local government official, said from his experience working with a group of mayors from other border cities, it's difficult to get federal politicians interested in border issues as a whole.
Plus, despite an opportunity to increase safety for everyone who uses the border and to cut down on strike situations, Bradley said, he hasn't seen the issue of arming border agents generate a lot of public interest.
"I just don't see it being a turning-point issue," he said. "I think this would be down on the list (of importance)."
SC4's Forsgren said while the matter may be important locally it likely isn't to people across the country.
"For people who live near the Canadian border, (the issue of arming border guards) ... is going to be more important than to people who live out west," Forsgren said. "All politics is local."
Still, Moran remains optimistic. "(The conservatives stance is) by far the strongest position any political party has ever taken," Moran said. "We're the type of union that you don't make that kind of commitment to if you don't mean it."
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