I once encountered this issue in reverse; I was going to the US to train support staff because the company I worked for had been purchased by a US company and was moving a lot of operations to their existing offices.

Nobody told me what to say when I flew down so I told the truth, that I was going down to train some people. When asked why a Canadian was doing the training and not an American I explained that I was training the people who were taking over my job and that after this I was going to be out of work...after a brief pause, the response was, "Bummer," and I was allowed to continue.

I called my manager after I checked into my hotel and told him what had happened; he told me I should have lied but I have a terrible poker face so I'm sure that would not have gone well.

I don't think it's necessarily Canada that's weird. If you want to see paranoia, try being a Canadian (or any other foreign national, for that matter) crossing into the US for business. What you describe is exactly what I get from the CBP, except for the $0.70 part.

I do so all the time. Almost monthly. I'm not sure what you're getting at - I really am not.

I'm referring to the paranoid idea that CBP people seem to have, that every foreign national that arrives to do business in the US is an undesirable that will put dozens of Americans out of work.

I've frequently brought things into Canada (as a non Canadian) that they could tax me on, and declared them (e.g. alcohol over personal exemption) and they have never asked me to pay up (even thought I am perfectly prepared to do so, not trying to get away with something). So not sure that is their reason.

Back when I did consult I learned after my first trip to Canada never to use the words consult/consulting/consultant. They are worried that you are taking a job away from a local, which is often true when outside consultants are hired. Training could also fall into the same trap.

Also be very careful with training and any other materials you might be carrying. Before my consulting days I was in manufacturing. We were looking for a paint supplier and I found one in Canada. I grabbed some scrap parts to talk over for a test run. No money was changing hands, but when I said I had parts they wanted paperwork which I didn't have. I spent about 20 minutes at secondary before they let me go, but told me to be sure I had paperwork. Many times after that I would see the agent look at their computer screen then ask me point blank if I had any parts with me, so it was noted. This was before 9/11 and passport requirements, so I think it was based on my license plate number. When I got a new plate, the question seemed to stop.

Back to consulting, when my boss wanted me to do training near Toronto, I insisted they ship the binders and other materials ahead. I knew they were clueless about doing the right paperwork, so better to let FedEx handle it.

Not working can be an even bigger headache. During one of my unemployment phases I decided to head over to the casino. I truthfully said I was going to the casino, but a 30 something hitting the casino on a Tuesday morning must have seemed strange. Asked where I worked, so I said I was unemployed. Spent the next 30 minutes at secondary with a very detailed, yet polite, interview about my finances, bank accounts, mortgage, ...

My first business trip to Canada as a consulting, my manager told me what to say and what NOT to say to immigration officers in Canada. He related a story of a colleague who said he's a consultant meeting a client in Toronto and how he had subsequently been pulled aside for an hour for further questioning. And yes, if you have any sort of training materials (binders, workbooks, etc.), best to ship ahead. More practical, in any case, as I am loathe to schlep all that stuff on my own. :)

That is a customs and duty issue. The employment issue is really an immigration issue, not just a tax collection pit stop.

I understand that - I was responding to Chris' post.