Canada and the US: Integration (Border Deal)

Firstly, I love Huffington Post Canada and CBC News for making the most concise but informative articles; they keep me up to date with ease! You are looking at a satisfied political junkie!
On a further note, the main issue of concern here is the Canada-US PERIMETER SECURITY NEW BORDER DEAL.


The below info, conclusions and summary were written by me.

In brief, the Obama government has proposed to the Harper government a new border agreement that will further integrate the Canada-US trading markets and essentially create a large degree of homogeneity between Canada and US laws, regulations and standards. For example, Canada's immigration laws will be lowered to the standard of the US's, for the sake of making border policy consistent. The two leaders have apparently been discussing and arranging for the implementation of the agreement since February, but the provisions of the agreement have not be finalized or shared with the public. This has led to much controversy within the Canadian political system. The Liberals are upset that Parliament has not been consulted with in regards to the agreement, and therefore have no accurate opinions to form about it besides the common criticism of the agreement being a threat to Canadian sovereignty.


Summary of the Agreement:
- $1-billion price tag
- to harmonize information sharing in order to ease trade, reduce border bottlenecks, and strengthen law enforcement cooperation 
- institute a new, integrated entry-exit system that would allow officials on both sides of the border to know in real time who is coming into and out of their countries


How the agreement poses as a threat to Canadian sovereignty:
* privacy concerns: the sharing of information about each Canadian citizen poses as a threat to Canada's privacy, that is inherent in the country's right to being a sovereign body. It is not normal for a country to allow such a transparent flow of information with another country.
* Canada is being encouraged to submit to the policies and regulations of the US, which undermined their ability to making their own policies and regulations as a country; commentators suggest that the agreement is not a compromise of the two countries coming together to create policy, but rather it is an agreement that has resulted on the Canadian government agreeing to the demands of the American government.
* "play to fears that the conservatives are selling out this country's sovereignty and undermining privacy rights in exchange for some illusory access to American markets."


Possible 'pros' of the Agreement:
* Greater flow of trade, allowing for fluidity within the trading system in which we share with our biggest trading partner
* Further integration of markets: may allow for a better consistency in prices of goods and greater access of those goods in both countries 
* Canada will get more power to track unemployment insurance recipients who skip the country and they also have greater power to monitor landed immigrants who don't spend enough time here to meet residency requirements


There are a few things I drew upon while reading up on these issues:


1- Executive Federalism- this is a practical example of executive federalism: decisions are being made between the elites of governments, with no consultation of other political actors. No referendum has been held, no public release of the negotiations or agreements have been released. Executive federalism is something that our country has established as one of it's main federal characteristics, but how far will we go? The further governments take executive federalism, the weaker the legitimacy of decision-making becomes.


2- Multilevel Governance- countries are becoming more and more susceptible to governing through multi-tier systems of governments: instead of the most important policies and issues being worked out through domestic or national agreements between the original two levels of government (federal and provincial/regional), countries are more and more likely to perform governance at the international level. Multilevel governance has been dominating 21st century political action, and I'm not sure whether the positives outweigh the negatives or vice versa. Some say that the popularity of national governments working more closely with other national governments as opposed to their own constituent governments either (1) enhances centralization by allowing the national government to make crucial decisions for the whole of the country or (2) enhances decentralization by forcing national governments to consult and cooperate with their constituent governments even more than before in regards to issues that will not only affect the country as a whole, but that will have direct implications on the regional markets, resources and policies. 


3- Intergovernmental Relations- the lack of transparency in intergovernmental relations is clearly demonstrated through this situation: many government officials (MPs), never mind ordinary citizens or political activists have not seen the details of the agreement


Further Information:
*Interestingly, some Americans are even opposed to the new agreement: the American Civil Liberties Union notes that, "in general Canada's policies are not as bad as our own," the ACLU said the United States should be "improving its own policies"...


*NAFTA "superhighway"- Something that will be developed as a result of the agreement: Transportations trucks of goods and cargo will be able to travel from Mexico straight to Canada, with no border stops. Good or bad? 


* "North American ID System"- government's in North America will have access to the information of every North American citizen regarding migration. They will know when each person leaves or enters a border, and a file will be kept on their activities. This information will no longer only be accessible to the country of the said citizen. Thoughts?


Some questions:
* Do you think that the protectionary efforts of the countries (especially of the US) is morally justifiable, considering the fact that these efforts may be an infringement on Canada's sovereignty?
*Do you think the benefits outweigh the drawbacks of this agreement as far as you know it, or vice versa?
*Do you agree with this famous quote: "Living next to the US is a little like sleeping with an elephant. You always wonder if they will roll over on you."- Pierre Trudeau. ?


Thanks for reading! Comment, enjoy.