US embassy cable - 05OTTAWA3228

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 OTTAWA 003228 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
FOR WHA/CAN, H, AND CA/PPT 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, ECIN, ETRD, CPAS, ASEC, CMGT, CA 
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR MEETS PARLIAMENT'S BORDER CAUCUS 
 
 
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED--PLEASE PROTECT ACCORDINGLY. 
 
1.  (U) Summary:  Ambassador Wilkins and Minister Counselor 
of Consular Affairs Keith Powell met for 75 minutes with 
Parliament's Border Caucus on October 26, fielding questions 
on subjects ranging from the new travel document requirements 
of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) to the 
softwood lumber dispute.  The Ambassador urged Border Caucus 
members and their constituents to register their views on the 
WHTI during the present comment period.  He also advised that 
Canada and the United States should not let disagreement on 
individual issues (e.g., softwood lumber) sour the broader 
collaborative and cooperative relationship.  Though a few 
prickly issues were raised, the tone of the meeting was 
positive and cordial.  End summary. 
 
2.  (U) The Border Caucus, a multiparty group of 37 Members 
of Parliament whose ridings are adjacent to or affected by 
the border, invited the Ambassador to join its October 26 
meeting.  The Border Caucus was formed one year ago, largely 
as the result of efforts by Russ Hiebert, Conservative MP 
from British Columbia.  Hiebert and three other MPs are 
co-chairs:  Claude Banchand (Bloc, Quebec), Roger Gallaway 
(Liberal, Ontario), and Brian Masse (NDP, Ontario). 
 
3.  (U) After his introduction by Hiebert, the Ambassador 
addressed about 22 members of the Border Caucus for 10 
minutes, relating his experiences and impressions after four 
months on the job in Ottawa.  He expressed appreciation for 
the warm welcome he has received throughout Canada (he has 
visited the three Canadian territories and all but one 
province).  The Ambassador noted that when the U.S. has been 
in need, such as the 9/11 attacks and Hurricane Katrina, 
Canada has been the first to offer help.  When President Bush 
visited Canada in November 2004, he thanked Canada for its 
assistance following 9/11.  During Secretary Rice's visit 
this week, she also offered the thanks of America for 
Canada's quick and generous efforts to aid the victims of 
Katrina.  The Ambassador offered to take questions about any 
issues of concern to the MPs.  He urged them to remember, 
however, that while there are small irritants in our 
relationship, the broader Canada-U.S. partnership is strong, 
mutually supportive, and pervasive. 
 
---- 
WHTI 
---- 
 
4.  (U) As anticipated, the most urgent concern of the Border 
Caucus members is the WHTI and its requirement that by 
January 2008, everyone entering the United States, including 
those entering by the land border with Canada, must hold  a 
passport or similarly secure travel document.  Caucus members 
worry that business, tourism, and casual travel could all 
suffer because of the WHTI.  The first question came from 
Conservative MP Rob Nicholson of Niagara Falls, who has four 
border crossings in his riding.  Nicholson asked if, because 
of the unique Canada-U.S. relationship, Canadians might be 
exempted from the new travel document requirement.  The 
Ambassador replied that the new documentary requirement was 
still "a work in progress" and said that Nicholson and the 
others should make their views known during the comment 
period that runs until October 31.  He added that it is 
unlikely there would be an exemption for Canadians to 
whatever documentary requirements are decided upon since all 
travelers, including American citizens, will be expected to 
adhere to the new regulations. 
 
5.  (SBU) Replying to a question from Bloc MP Claude Bachand, 
the Ambassador, joined by Consular head Powell, suggested 
that the most productive way to respond to the WHTI 
requirements would be to find ways to make them workable. 
Bachand reported that Parliament had recently passed a 
(nonbinding) motion against a passport requirement for 
crossing the Canada-U.S. border.  The Ambassador and Powell 
emphasized that no final rule has been issued yet and 
suggested that MPs submit comments and work with their 
counterparts in the U.S. Congress and Senate to address the 
common concerns of border legislators regarding the WHTI. 
They explained that there is discussion of an alternative to 
a passport--a lower cost, laminated card like a credit 
card--that would trigger transmission of data to a border 
inspector's monitor as a traveler approached the port of 
entry.  The Ambassador and Powell pointed out that rather 
than impeding cross-border movement, the use of technology, 
coupled with standardized documents, may make crossing the 
land border much faster and easier than it is today. 
 
--------------- 
Softwood lumber 
--------------- 
6.  (SBU) Prefacing his remarks by saying that "we detest 
those who play the anti-American card," Stockwell Day, 
Conservative from British Columbia, raised the softwood 
lumber dispute.  He asked for specifics of the various 
rulings.  The Ambassador explained that while the recent 
NAFTA panel had ruled against the United States, the WTO had 
ruled in favor.  The Ambassador noted that there would likely 
be another ruling on October 28.  The Ambassador said, "If I 
could fix this problem, I would."  He urged Border Caucus 
members to keep softwood in perspective:  it is a trade 
dispute, and only one small aspect of our much larger trading 
relationship.  He cautioned that too much Canadian rhetoric 
about softwood lumber could create a negative reaction in 
Washington. 
 
--------- 
Potpourri 
--------- 
 
7.  (U) Larry Bagnell, Liberal from the Yukon Territory, 
noted that Alaska and the Yukon Territory frequently 
collaborate in the tourism sector, and they submitted a joint 
comment on the WHTI voicing their common concerns.  Bagnell 
said he also had questions about the several opposing rulings 
regarding the softwood lumber dispute.  The Ambassador 
offered to send the Border Caucus members a brief outline of 
the facts behind the various softwood lumber decisions. 
Bagnell raised the differing views of the U.S. and Canada 
regarding exploring for petroleum in the Arctic National 
Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) and demarcating the border along the 
Northwest Passage.  The Ambassador acknowledged that, yes, we 
do have different views on both of those. 
 
8.  (SBU) Gurmant Grewal, Conservative from British Columbia, 
complained of what he described as "racial profiling" at 
border crossings and the presence of militiamen.  The 
Ambassador explained that the U.S. does not practice racial 
profiling.  He noted that the militiamen on the border have 
no official capacity.  Grewal added that he himself was 
recently held up three times on return flights to Vancouver 
from Mexico.  On hearing details of Grewal's travel, Consular 
chief Powell explained that things like cash purchases of 
one-way tickets and not having luggage on an international 
flight may make one appear suspicious.  Grewal said that if 
his name is on a "No-Fly" list, he wishes to be removed from 
it.  Powell offered to look into the particulars of Grewal's 
personal complaint. 
 
9.  (U) The NDP's Brian Masse from Windsor asked if the USG 
and Government of Canada were preparing to put up public 
funds to match the proposal expected October 28 from Manny 
Maroun (owner of the Ambassador Bridge between Detroit and 
Windsor) to privatize the Windsor-Detroit tunnel.  The 
Ambassador responded that we view the recommendations of the 
binational commission as those that can most adequately 
address the Windsor-Detroit crossing for the long-term.  He 
offered to keep in contact with Masse regarding the Maroun 
proposal and the issue of funding. 
 
10.  (U) Jeff Watson, Conservative from Ontario, sent a 
staffer to ask if the United States and Canada were finally 
going to be able to join together and make common cause 
against European subsidies in the World Trade Organization. 
The Ambassador offered to look into that question and get 
back to Watson. 
 
11.  (U) Greg Thompson, Conservative from New Brunswick, 
thanked the Ambassador for joining MPs to barbecue hamburgers 
at Parliament Hill.  (Note:  Parliament held a fund-raiser 
luncheon for Katrina victims on September 28 at which MPs and 
the Ambassador joined Prime Minister Martin in cooking meals 
that raised $125,000.  End note.)  Thompson raised his 
concern that the United States was beginning to view the 
Canadian border with the same optic as the Mexican border. 
He noted that the U.S. and Canada have unique agreements in 
security and law enforcement.  Our two countries must move 
ahead with new bilateral activities without waiting for 
Mexico to join them.  The Ambassador assured Thompson that we 
appreciate the unique character of the Canada-U.S. border. 
Comment:  Thompson did not elaborate further, but perhaps he 
was alluding to the trilateral linkage proposed in the 
Security and Prosperity Partnership.  Embassy will follow up 
with Thompson.  End comment. 
 
12.  (SBU) Mark Warawa, Conservative from British Columbia, 
told the Ambassador that a recently discovered underground 
tunnel used by drug smugglers is located in his riding.  He 
said he was pleased the drug smugglers using the tunnel were 
arrested on the U.S. side, adding that they would have gotten 
off too easily had they been arrested on the Canadian side. 
Warawa reported that the RCMP is being overwhelmed by the 
number of growing operations in B.C., as many as 800 of them, 
and cannot adequately respond to them.  He opined that C-17, 
the proposed legislation to decriminalize marijuana while at 
the same time increasing the maximum fine for grow ops, has 
been "shelved" and will remain so as long as Canada is "in 
election mode." 
 
13.  (U) Denis Paradis, Liberal from Quebec, asked if the 
Ambassador would intervene in the planned expansion of a 
garbage landfill on the U.S. side of Lake Memphremagog, a 
popular resort that straddles the Quebec-Vermont border. 
Paradis maintains that the landfill as planned will pollute 
the lake.  The Ambassador offered to look into it.  The last 
Border Caucus member to speak was Lynne Yelich, Conservative 
from Saskatchewan, whose main purpose in attending the 
meeting was to invite the Ambassador to visit her province. 
As it turns out, the Ambassador will be in Saskatchewan on 
November 30 on a trip that will complete his initial tours of 
Canada's provinces. 
 
Visit Canada's Classified Web Site at 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/wha/ottawa 
 
WILKINS