what up with that?!!.. totally discriminating.. and down right insulting!
americans r too paranoid.. watch out ppl!
Foreign-born citizens may consider move, Dhaliwal says; official counsels caution
OTTAWA (CP) - Natural Resources Minister Herb Dhaliwal says foreign-born Canadian citizens might consider having their place of birth removed from their passports as a way around U.S. border measures he fears will amount to racial profiling.
But a Foreign Affairs official said that may create more problems than it solves.
Dhaliwal, who was born in India, said Canada has taken the border issue up with U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft.
“I think this is an important issue for Canadians to ensure that they get fair treatment and that we don’t have a situation where Canadians are harassed and that we don’t have racial profiling,” Dhaliwal said.
“It’s a question of fairness and fundamental human rights.”
Ashcroft said Thursday during a visit to the border at Niagara Falls that Canadians are not exempt from tough new U.S. screening rules at the border.
But he did repeat promises that Canadians crossing into the United States won’t automatically be fingerprinted, photographed and interviewed based on their place of birth. And he insisted the new U.S. exit-and-entry system does not amount to ethnic profiling.
Noting that Parliament includes 40 members born outside the country, Dhaliwal said Canada must be diligent in holding Ashcroft to that promise.
“I think anybody who looks Middle Eastern, who may be born in Middle Eastern countries are very concerned at the way they may be treated either going to the U.S. or just in transit,” Dhaliwal said outside the Commons.
“I think people will look at other avenues, like not having their birth on their passport. They can do that now by writing a letter to the passport office. If people are feeling there is harassment, this is an option.”
But Foreign Affairs spokesman Reynald Doiron said there are risks involved in removing place of birth from passports.
Those applying for passports without place of birth must sign a waiver - Passport Form No. 077 - that includes a disclaimer stating the applicant has been advised by the passport office they “may encounter difficulties with the officials of other countries,” including denial of entry.
The passport application, drafted years before the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, warns applicants who don’t want their place of birth included that they should contact consular embassies of every country they visit to ensure they will be admitted.
Some countries - including Canada - may not accept foreign passports that don’t include place of birth.
The new U.S. security measures were instituted this September in the aftermath of last year’s terrorist attacks.
The system has drawn criticism from Canadians who say they have been interrogated and fingerprinted simply because of their place of birth.
The Foreign Affairs Department issued an unusual travel advisory on Sept. 13 advising Canadian citizens born in Iran, Iraq, Libya, Sudan and Syria to reconsider U.S. travel. Canadians of Pakistani, Saudi or Yemeni origin “could also attract special attention” at the border, warned the department.
Last week, Foreign Affairs Minister Bill Graham said he’d been assured by Washington that “all Canadians will be treated as Canadians when travelling on Canadian passports.”
His department, however, has been at a loss to explain what, if anything, has changed and Canadian travellers continue to report border harassment. Nonetheless, Graham ordered the embarrassing travel advisory lifted Wednesday, the eve of Ashcroft’s border visit.
Dhaliwal said the United States should better familiarize itself with Canadian immigration’s standards and practices and maybe then it wouldn’t be so concerned.
“We have a thorough security checking that’s required before any person gets landed-immigrant status,” he said.
“We’ve proven again and again: You can do a better job protecting borders when you have specific information rather than trying to stereotype and broadbrush everyone just because of the place they were born or the way they look. That’s, in fact, wasting billions of dollars of resources.”