U.S. senators want more security on Canadian border; report says it's porous

Beth Gorham, THE CANADIAN PRESS

WASHINGTON - WASHINGTON - American senators demanded security upgrades at the Canadian border and complained Thursday about a terrorist threat from the north, citing an "alarming" report on how easy it would be to slip nuclear material into the United States.

The 13-page congressional report gave legislators an excuse to accuse Canada of harbouring an inordinate number of terrorist groups.

"It's so hard to believe there's been so little progress in plugging these gaping security holes," said Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley.

"They're simply wide open, waiting to be crossed by anyone carrying anything, even a dirty bomb or a suitcase-type nuclear device."

The independent Government Accountability Office sent investigators out to see how easy it would be to carry large, red duffle bags with simulated radioactive material and other contraband across the Canada-U.S. border at three of four unguarded spots.

They succeeded without a problem.

The report complains there are many state roads that end at the border that aren't manned or monitored. Some are only staffed during the day, and anyone could drive around barriers placed across the road at night, it said.

At a Capitol Hill hearing, Senator Ken Salazar from Colorado said there's been far too much focus on the border with Mexico and not enough on the Canadian line, calling it "a huge disparity."

He noted there are only some 1,000 Border Patrol agents in the north compared with nearly 12,000 at the U.S.-Mexico border.

Salazar claimed there are more international terrorist organizations in Canada than anywhere else in the world. He pointed to a 2002 report from the Canadian Security Intelligence Service that said there were more international terrorist groups active in Canada than anywhere else.

A CSIS commentary, not an official report, did come to that conclusion but included the caveat, "with the possible exception of the United States," said spokesman Marc Boyer.

"This situation can be attributed to Canada's proximity to the United States which currently is the principal target of terrorist groups operating internationally; and to the fact that Canada, a country built upon immigration, represents a microcosm of the world," the commentary said.

Ronald Colburn, deputy chief of Border Patrol at the Homeland Security Department, took a grillling from senators but said there's nothing in the report that he didn't know.

It's a huge challenge securing vast stretches of unguarded border, he said, and Congress needs to keep funding improvements.

The department is sending 200 more Border Patrol agents to the Canadian border and is employing technical devices like unmanned aerial systems to keep track of what's happening.

"I don't get a sense that you really care about this," said Democratic Senator Max Baucus of Montana, chairman of the finance committee.

"Here we are in Congress trying to protect people. You've been avoiding a lot of questions. It's not been satisfactory."

Colburn told him there is a serious national strategy in place but Congress needs to do its part by funding improvements for more security.

In Toronto, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said the materials were admitted through U.S. security but "obviously we have to be concerned."

"We work hand and glove with American authorities dealing with any kinds of threats or potential threats," he said.

"We are making significant investments as well, in both processes and people (by) hiring more border guards. So we're doing our bit."

New York Senator Chuck Schumer called the report "extremely troubling."

He told the committee that terrorists have crossed from Canada through Buffalo and there are inadequate patrols on Lake Ontario.

© The Canadian Press, 2007