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Originally Posted by Gort
While it is interesting to look at and mull over the opinions of foreigners with respect to what they think we ought to do on border security and visas I am not altogether sure we should take their opinions to much into consideration when making up our minds how we want our border security to work. After all didn't Canada get a little tiffed at us when we suggested their immigration policy and asylum policy was a little to lax for our tastes? I seem to recall being told essentially to butt out since it wasn't our country and they had different values than we did. ANd that is fine, it is after all their country to do with as they see fit. Suprisingly though when it comes to our own immigration and visitation policies the same "butt out" does not apply.
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Come on Gort, you know bailey doesn't speak for all Canadians...
I fundamentally believe that from a political perspective, American opinion (and American Government views) on Canadian border security is a valid concern.
I have previously argued that Canadians specifically, and foreigners generally do have a right to speak on US policy since we are so intimately affected by it on so many direct levels.
For example, the glorious Common Law legal tradition that was born in England some 800 years ago and forms the basis, structure and form of the law in the UK, USA, Canada and Australia (plus a couple other outposts) is an interconnected web in theory and practice. US Court decisions can and do get cited in Canadian law courts. They are not binding any more than Canadian cites in US law courts. But they can be influential in the tradition that the law improves through 'best practice' that such competitiveness of jurisprudence can produce.
Certainly in the academic literature on 'public policy and administration' (that I actually subscribe to!) - articles routinely compare case-studies draw from US States and Canadian Provinces as the differences and similarities are no more or no less than the range of differences and similarities between Texas and Maine (for example).
And of course, in taxes, customs, corporate law, border security, coastal control and national defense, there is an obvious and strong connection between Canada and the USA - by the simple rule of the market. This is similar to the national mutual-interest that is increasingly common in Europe - for exactly the same reasons: it is as necessary as it is beneficial. However, it is rarely popular on either side of the border (NA or Europe or wherever).
All that being said, I think it is quite valid for non-Americans to have opinions on American public policy proposals. If anything, competition and open dialogue is always a benefit - and the door goes both ways, certainly.