Globe editorial – On the Brink: Ottawa has to change its old thinking about a new border

More from the Globe:

…The Trudeau government lost control of Canada’s immigration system, and yet it appears to have never occurred to it that this would be an issue for the only country with which it shares a land border.

Fixing that begins with the federal government taking control of its refugee claims crisis (more on that in our next editorial in this series), restoring the primacy of points-based immigration, and working with the U.S. to ensure neither country is a backdoor into the other.

It also calls for Ottawa to streamline the way the RCMP and the CBSA patrol the border, and to provide the manpower, drones, helicopters, sensors and other equipment needed to defend 9,000 kilometres of boundary area against human traffickers, drug and gun smugglers, and other threats.

Ottawa should do this not to appease Mr. Trump, but in the interests of Canada. If our border with the U.S. is to be a symbol of anything, it should be that of a pragmatic country that welcomes immigration but is also unsentimental about its security and defence.

Source: On the Brink: Ottawa has to change its old thinking about a new border