Canada prepares to get paranoid

Why does it seem at times that the government of Canada takes its lead from the worst of US policies? In an article in today's Globe and Mail, "The incoming head of Canada's spy agency says new rules requiring digital fingerprints and photos at foreign visa offices will be extended to every visitor from any country in the world..."

Newly appointed CSIS head Richard Fadden is quoted, “The intention is to capture everybody,” Mr. Fadden told MPs during an appearance before the House of Commons immigration committee yesterday. “The idea is to increase our capacity to know who is in Canada at a particular point of time.”

Sound familiar? How does "Fortress Canada" sound to you?

These plans are horribly consistent with the clampdown at US border crossings and only promise to be used as vehicles for discrimination (how's this for code-speak: “We're going to phase this in and we're going to pick countries where there are more concerns, but the intent is to cover all temporary visitors,” said Mr. Fadden.), as well as provide justification for eventually collecting a database of biometric data on all Canadians.

As Robert Heinlein wisely said, "Love your country, but never trust its government." Remember - they work for you. Tell the Tories you don't want to live in the US.