Northern exposure?
| DOI | 10.1177/002070200506000104 |
| Author | Joel J. Sokolsky |
| Published date | 01 March 2005 |
| Date | 01 March 2005 |
| Subject Matter | Article |
JOEL J. SOKOLSKY
Northern
exposure?
American homeland
security
and
Canada
INTRODUCTION
In the days
and
weeks following 11 September 2001, rumours spread
that
some
of
the terrorists
had
entered the United States from Canada.
Although
these proved to be false,
the
view gained credence
that
American security was dangerously exposed along its northern, "unde-
fended" border.
It
was an assessment furthered
and
encouraged by
widespread criticism in Canada that for years Ottawa had failed to take
the terrorist threat seriously,especially by its failure to properly control
and monitor its immigration policies.
Whatever the validity
of
these arguments, with over 85 percent ofirs
foreign trade dependent on access to the
US
market, the Canadian gov-
ernment
immediately realized
that
it now
had
astake in American
homeland security. AsDesmond
Morton
recently observed, Canada's
priority today is as it has been throughout
our
history, "to do what we
must do to make the Americans feel secure on their northern border.
Joel].
Sokolsky
is
professor
of
political
science
and
dean
of
artsat the
Royal
Military
College
of
Canada.
The
article
is
based
upon
research
made
possible
bythe
Poundation
for
Educational
Exchange
between
Canada
ana the United
States,
Canada-US
Fulbright
Program,
which
allowed
theauthorto
spend
his
sabbatical
year
at
Bridgewater
State
College,
Massachusetts.
He
also
wishes
tothank
Bridgewater
States
Canadian
studies
J:.rogram
and
department
of
political
science.
Parts
of
this
article
are
drawn
from 'Guardinf. thecontinental
coasts:
United
States
maritime
homeland
security
and
Canada,
,
published
bytheInstitute for
Research
on
Public
Policy.
INTERNATIONAL
JOURNAL
Winter 2004-2005
Joel
J.
Sokolsky
Americans may remember
9/11;
we must remember
9/12,
when
American panic closed the
us
border and shook
our
prosperity to its
very core."'
This article examines United States homeland security policy
and
its
impact
on Canada.
It
first looks at nature
of
American homeland
defence policy with particular reference to the role
of
the departments
of
homeland security and defence.
It
then examines Ottawa's response,
including with regard to the Canadian forces (CF).
The
paper makes
two related arguments. First, that despite the largest reorganization of
the us government since
the
Second World War in order to better
defend the American people and economy at home, there remain sig-
nificant problems in implementing homeland security and to some
degree in even agreeing
what
is involved in the role
of
the military.
Second, that in light
of
these difficulties, efforts north
of
the border
compare favourably with those taking place
to
the south. Indeed, in a
number
of
significant respects, the government
of
Canada, in seeking
to reassure Americans
that
their security is
not
threatened from
the
north, has also moved quickly and effectively to secure the Canadian
homeland.
PROTECTING
THE
AMERICAN
HOMELAND:
BETWEEN
"SECURITY"
AND
"DEFENCE"
In July 2002, President Bush stated that, "there is an overriding
and
urgent mission here in America today, and that's to protect our home-
land. We have been called into action, and we'vegot to act."
The
2002
"homeland security act" created the Department
of
Homeland Security,
(DHS), involving the largest reorganization
of
the American government
in US history. "The national strategy for homeland security" lists three
main goals: "prevent terrorist attacks within the United States; reduce
America's vulnerability to terrorism;
and
minimize the damage
and
recover from attacks that do occur." For the fiscal year 2005, the DHS
will have $40.7 billion available to it, including $28.7 billion in
net
discretionary spending at a
6.6
percent increase over fiscal 2004.2
1
Desmond
Morton,"Partial text of a
speech
•••
to the openingbanquetof a
Canadian
conference
ofthe inter-university
seminar
on
armed
forces
andsociety,"
Toronto,
1
October
2004.
2
Department
of
Homeland
Security,
"Factsheet:
Department
of
Homeland
Security
appropriationsactof
2005."
36
INTERNATIONAL
JOURNAL
Winter
2004-2005
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