42
view . fall 2012
CAMPUS
NEWS
There are a number of solutions to make the border
between Canada and the United States operate more
efficiently,
but adopting a continental perimeter probably
isn’t one of them, according to William Anderson.
“I’m not saying that we shouldn’t purse this perimeter
approach,” says the University of Windsor political
science professor, “but that Holy Grail of European style
of perimeter approach where you basically get rid of
the borders is not anything we’re going to see in North
America any time soon.”
Dr. Anderson, the Ontario Research Chair in Cross-
Border Transportation Policy, recently released a document
called The Border and the Ontario Economy, a sweeping
report that examines the importance of an efficient
border to provincial commerce and makes a number of
recommendations to make it work better.
Besides embracing new technology and moving
certain functions away from the border crossing, the
report examines the Schengen Area, a group of 26
European Union states within which all border controls and
inspections have been eliminated. The solution might work
in Europe where countries were able to harmonize certain
regulations in order to allow for the free flow of people
and goods across borders, but Anderson expressed doubt
that the same level of harmonization could be achieved
between Canada and the U.S.
“Do you really think we’re going to have a common
policy in North America on firearms?” he asks. “We’re
always going to have to check vehicles coming in to
Canada from the United States for firearms. We’re not
going to have a common policy on refugees, or on visas
in general. If you don’t have that common policy, you’re
always going to have to check people for immigration
purposes to see if they’re legally eligible to come in to
Canada or the United States.”
Researcher releases report on border impact
Dr. William Anderson is the Ontario Research Chair in Cross-Border
Transportation Policy.
