[fatbasturd]

We are being welcomed with open armsI hope Stockwells lips aren't chapped.

[Arctic_Menace]

Ugh. Is it just me, or is the Western Free World slowly becoming a police state imbued with fear? Hopefully, I won't be around to see it happen fully.

[Zeipher]

dude, in like every country you need a passport to get into. I guess that Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and everywhere else is a police state too?

[Zoraja]

You dont need it throughout Europe, if you are member of the EU you are set to go anywhere in the EU.

Maybe I misunderstood something. At the end of the article it said that americans could come over here and not need a passport, but for us goign there we woudl need one, fine. But what about americans goign back over, would they be able to get back without a passport???

And of course this seems utterly idiotic to me. I worked at a duty free store for a long time. And enough of those people couldnt understand that they could get american money back for the Canadian money they had not used, so to expect them to get a passport or pass card before they go over is rediculous. Massive revenues not only in tourism, but in retail in places like WIndsor, Sarnia, Niagra, and numerous other places will be lost. This is just another bad idea somebody pulled out of their ass.

[Delwin]

I am more concerned about the everyday traffic that crosses into the US everyday. Millions of dollars a day could be tied up at the border, making Canadian companies less competitive in the American market due to unreliable shipping deadlines. I will honestly boycott american products if it gets to the point where, we are losing jobs because of this proposed plan.

I agree with the tourism point aswell, the snowbirds will still make the trip for the warmer weather, as we have no alternative location. Americans will not make the trip because their are alternatives in the U.S.

I'm sure the numbers were thouroughly crunched on this one before the decision was made. I think it is ridiculus. They are trying to stop a handful of resourceful terrorists. It is like trying to catch a fly with a fishing net, the holes are still going to be too great to prevent the types of events they are trying to stop.Still not convinced this one is about defence at all, not after the way the U.S. handled the softwood affair.

[Zoraja]

I dont think it is about defense either. Americans lately are isolationists so by reducing trade from us the can be more self reliant. Or at least they think they can.

[IcedCap]

Zoraja Zoraja:

You dont need it throughout Europe, if you are member of the EU you are set to go anywhere in the EU.

Yes you can go anywhere in the EU without a VISA if you're a citizen of another EU nation but you still need a passport

[Bodah]

Whats the big deal about getting a passport to get into the U.S. their good for 5 years, And if you can afford to travel to the U.S. you should be able to afford to spare 85$ every five years. Or 17$ a year if you prefer a payment plan method.

Its their country and their laws if you dont like it, dont go there. Most of you probably never will anyways. In Europe everyone needs a passport.

so bla bla bla .....

[ridenrain]

The problem is Americans can get a US Passport for something like $25 and it lasts for 10 years. Ours are a paperwork nightmare, cost too much and only last for a week.
Typical that everything is cheaper in the states.
I'm going down to Bellinghan and get my passport there.

[BartSimpson]

ridenrain ridenrain:

The problem is Americans can get a US Passport for something like $25 and it lasts for 10 years. Ours are a paperwork nightmare, cost too much and only last for a week.
Typical that everything is cheaper in the states.
I'm going down to Bellinghan and get my passport there.

I just renewed my passport this last month. It wasn't $25.

It was $67 for the State Department to process the application.
It was $30 for the Post Office to accept the application.
The registered copy of my birth certificate was $17.
The Notarized application for a copy of the birth certificate was $10.
The crappy picture for the passport was $13.

$67 + $30 + $17 + $10 + $13 = $137.00

And it will last until I fill it up or it expires in ten years.

[BartSimpson]

Zoraja Zoraja:

You dont need it throughout Europe, if you are member of the EU you are set to go anywhere in the EU.

Maybe I misunderstood something. At the end of the article it said that americans could come over here and not need a passport, but for us goign there we woudl need one, fine. But what about americans goign back over, would they be able to get back without a passport???

That's right. Americans, under the Constitution, are free to leave the country unfettered. There are no exit documents required to leave via a land or sea border for Americans.

But after this year Americans will need a passport or an identification from a state that does not issue identification to illegal aliens to be allowed back in to the country.

So an Idaho or Montana license would be enough to get you back into the USA, but a Washington, Oregon, California, Arizona, New Hampshire, Massachussetts, New York, and etc. licenses would not be.

[IcedCap]

ridenrain ridenrain:

The problem is Americans can get a US Passport for something like $25 and it lasts for 10 years. Ours are a paperwork nightmare, cost too much and only last for a week.
Typical that everything is cheaper in the states.
I'm going down to Bellinghan and get my passport there.

Its hardly a paperwork nightmare, you can get all the forms online and last time I went to the passport office it took maybe 15 minutes dropping it off and getting my forms reviewed.

[ziggy]

IcedCap IcedCap:

ridenrain ridenrain:

The problem is Americans can get a US Passport for something like $25 and it lasts for 10 years. Ours are a paperwork nightmare, cost too much and only last for a week.
Typical that everything is cheaper in the states.
I'm going down to Bellinghan and get my passport there.

Its hardly a paperwork nightmare, you can get all the forms online and last time I went to the passport office it took maybe 15 minutes dropping it off and getting my forms reviewed.

Depending on where you go in Calgary the shortest wait will be 45 minutes,bring an original birth certificate(not a copy)and a recent photo signed by a lawyer(free)certifying it's you in the pic.That will speed things up.

[IcedCap]

ziggy ziggy:

Depending on where you go in Calgary the shortest wait will be 45 minutes,bring an original birth certificate(not a copy)and a recent photo signed by a lawyer(free)certifying it's you in the pic.That will speed things up.

It doesn't have to be a lawyer, any notarry can sign it, CA, cop, doctor

[MissT]

MY concern about this ID card business is that the new programme, which will probably be similar in the US, Canada and the UK, will involve biometric data and possibly Radio frequency ID chips, which might be located by GPS systems.

Since your drivers license or passport already puts the police in contact with a great deal of information about you already when you cross the border, I don't understand why these new cards are a necessity unless it's for more, for want of a better word, totalitarian purposes, ie to map where we are, what we are doing etc etc.

There are whispers that the ID cards will become part of the econmic system, so that when you buy something with a credit or debit card, you will need your ID card to prove your identity. All this information could go onto a centralised system, which can build a comprehensive picture of where you are, what you are doing, what you are buying, reading, etc. Helpful if you want to keep a close eye on what your citizens are up to. Especially if you expect that your political and economic policies are going to cause civil unrest and you want to stamp out any opposition.