Unlike any other place I've entered, Canada seems to give visitors a hard time. At least that's what I've heard.

Recently I drove into Canada from Seattle and although they didn't search me they asked me at least 20 questions including what I was doing, why I was doing it, details details details.

My brother went to Nova Scotia on vacation and they searched him and his friend and detained them for an hour.

They are courteous but insistent. What are they looking for? Why are they doing this?

My feeling is that they want people to recognize the sovereignty of Canada, so often characterized in thought if not action as the "51st state" of USA. But perhaps I am way off in this explanation.

Anyone else with experience like this entering Canada? Any thoughts as to the reason why?

(And BTW, entering the US is no piece of cake with drug sniffing dogs etc., I am not trying to criticize Canada and apologize in advance to anyone if my question offends)

Immigration and Customs officials are only government employees and some of them love to use whatever authority they have to make life miserable for others. The only reason I can see is that it's because they feel like it (and this by a Canadian citizen who is sometimes given trouble reentering the country by customs - where the secondary inspector clears me in seconds after waiting enough time to see him).

You are right, clearing U.S. I.N.S. is often no fun for a foreigner.

They are doing this due to the lax rules they used to have where anyone could ,get in or out via the Canadian borders. If you are non-white prepare to show a passport entering the U.S from Canada as they are really clamping down because of the illegal Chinese and Vietnamese that are entering through the U.S border crossings. My wife is Filipino and we had to go inside because she didn't have her passport with her.


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Cheers Scott

Effectively profiling.

During the summer of 1998, I signed up for a salmon fishing trip in the Queen Charlotte Islands put together by the Sandy River chapter of the Northwest Steelheaders, near PDX. The plan was to drive from Portland to Vancouver, spend the night, and then take a couple of small planes further north, one to a small landing strip on the island of Bela Bela, the other a float plane to our final destination, a renovated ocean-going tugboat.

On the morning of July 13, a fellow pulled up by my apartment with whom I had prearranged to share the ride to Vancouver. As I loaded my gear onto his tiny A/C-less, radio-less vehicle (evidently normally towed behind an R/V), he asked me whether I had any guns.

I thought about the question for a moment. It wasn't that I did not know the answer - it was just that I guess I had never been asked that question before. "Am I supposed to?" I replied.

He explained that "for some reason" the Canadians tend to look somewhat askance at Americans and their love affair with guns. He thought that I should be aware of that "just in case" I was planning to bring any along. I told him that I was not planning to shoot any salmon although I have been know to shoot my mouth off Besides, I didn't own any guns, so off we went on the 6-7 hour drive north to the Canadian border.

Once we arrived at the border, we waited in the car on a fairly lengthy line until it was finally our turn to be queried. We were asked a couple of questions and then an extremely polite Canadian customs officer directed us to pull off to a special area, where we were instructed to vacate the car which would then undergo a much more thorough inspection. The entire process took about an hour and all of the Canadian customs personnel were polite and proper throughput the entire endeavor. But as I wandered around bored, I happened to meander towards the back of the vehicle, whereupon I noticed that the bumper had been adorned with an assortment of pretty NRA sponsored bumper stickers. I presume that's what had done the trick.

LarryU :- The attitude towards guns is different in Canada. They are virtually never seen, aside from police or armed guard use. I would venture a guess that a majority of city dwellers have never handled a firearm, let alone used one (myself included). This perhaps explains the Canadian fixation about keeping guns out: we don't really have any and we like it that way! There is a strong general perception that handgun and firearm use/ownership is out of control in the US -whether this is true or not- and this probably acoounts for your treatment at the border, given the NRA bumper sticker! Maybe next time put a " gun control" sticker on and you will glide through customs!

Anyway my apologies on behalf of the Canadian people for slowing down a Flyertalker!

FWIW, I always get the 3rd degree from customs in SEA and SFO enetering the US. I think it must be the subtle difference in accent, I sound like a Canadian or something.

Maybe that's it, eh?

I wonder if it could be some retaliation for the Feinstein-sponsored immigration bill that would have required every single arrival into the U.S. to be documented (the U.S. Representatives of the northern border states fought against implementation and I think an amendment was passed to defer implementation). Arrivals from Canada are still largely undocumented.

I think that legislation has given the I.N.S. some power to go on a fishing trip on transiting passengers. Travellers between Canada and Australia (and New Zealand and other S. Pacific destinations) prior to at least 1996 would transit at HNL. Starting sometime between then and before July/August 2000, transiting passengers are greeted by I.N.S. inspectors on disembarkation of the aircraft, even though they are not entering the U.S. and staying in air side sterile areas, who want to see citizenship documentation and ask questions they'd ask if one was entering the U.S.

Be aware that customs on either side have the power (almost absolute) to tear your vehicle apart to check for contraband on the mere suspicion that you may have any if they so wish. And no, they don't have to help you put it together.



[This message has been edited by terenz (edited 12-25-2000).]

I have always heard that the Canadian customs are polite...


but also a pain. Also, cameras view your car and they plug your license plate into the computer. I was told recently that once you are stopped and searched extensively, you will *always* be stopped and searched, because your car is "marked" by the computer. Don't know if this is true.

Coming back to the US, the US INS was using drug sniffing dogs. Cars would be told to open their trunk, and the dog would be invited to hop in and sniff around

Depending on the border crossing, the I.N.S. also uses this technology. They have installed these cameras (for front and back and the car) at the main crossing from Vancouver. I guess they have the technology to implement Big Brother policies and will continue to do so with willful glee.

I'm glad to hear that our border "guards" are at least being polite. This process is tolerable if you are not treated rudely. I've been profiled as well in LAX by the INS and they were nice to me....thorough....but nice.

Terenz.....it was as a transiting passenger that I was put thru this process by the way, and that was in Feb 2000.


Significant political pressure from public outcries and US government efforts have resulted in a more strict "vetting" of anybody attempting to enter Canada.

Witness the Algerian with the trunk load of explosives arrested recently upon attempting entry into the US via the BC/Washington state border and you'll understand why.



[This message has been edited by Carioca Canuck (edited 12-25-2000).]

Hey, I did an LAX-YVR mileage run a couple of years ago. Was detained in YVR because:

I had no business in YVR,
I had no friends in YVR,
My tickets had been changed because of a cancellation,
etc.

Right, so they more intensively question anyone who isn't a light-skinned caucasoid especially those with a non-N. American/Western European accent, and may your diety help you if you look Arabic in the least.


[This message has been edited by terenz (edited 12-25-2000).]

CC

May I ask if there was/is a sterile transit facility at LAX or did you mix with U.S.-orignating pax on your ongoing flight who did not enter am immigration sterile area? Were you free to leave the airport with ease and without detection and could have easily skipped the flight to wherever and remained in the U.S.?

The HNL transit facilty (gates 25-31(?)) is an immigration AND security-sterile area - similar to international transit areas at AMS, GRU, HKG, SYD, ZRH, BKK & GVA among a few. You DO NOT (have to) clear U.S. immigration and customs if you are not leaving it, and a few years back you did NOT have to see any I.N.S. officials if you were merely transiting. I haven't seen immigration officials checking pax in the transit area at any of the previously-mentioned airports. Empress who was flying between SYD and YYZ reported that he was harassed and held at length by I.N.S. officials though he had NO intent to enter the U.S.



[This message has been edited by terenz (edited 12-25-2000).]

No apologies needed; I find the irony of the whole situation rather amusing. Here is this fellow who is quite cognizant of the fact that many Canadians do not exhibit the same love affair with guns as some Americans, yet not bright enough to realize that his NRA stickers would draw some attention and concern. As it was his car, I don't think I would try to affix the gun control sticker as you suggested. I didn't fancy walking to Vancouver.