U.S. Passport Plans Will 'strangle' Canadian Economy

The article does not say that in the US, a much smaller percentage of people currently possess passports than in Canada. The majority of Canadians live relatively close to the 49th parallel, are more prone to travel into the US and also to other countries, and this is not so in the US. I think many US citizens are actually afraid to travel to Europe.

The fact that US citizens must also obtain passports is the problem. They may not do this (partly because of the cost) and then the potential tourism dollars will be lost to Canada. For me and for thousands of Canadians who already possess passports, it is not a problem.

What happened to the recent idea to extend the validity of Canadian passports to 10 years?

Strange that this is all happening while in Europe, travel between the EU countries does not require passports at all.

Is North America becoming balkanized? Also, is Canada retaliating with this requirement? Will Canada, as a sovereign nation, still allow US citizens in (without a passport)? If so, they will have to complain to their own government only, for requiring a passport to return.

I strongly favour any law passed by either side that restricts the cross border flow of goods/services in either direction. Yes it will hurt the economies of both nations, but the damage will be done to the corporations and banks who take most of the profits anyway, leaving little for the Canadian people.

The painful adjustment to the economy of Canada will be a good thing in the long run. Canada will only be a truly sovereign nation when trade with other countries is taken out of the hands of the transnational corporations and placed under strict control.

In other words, It's long past time to take the governance of Canada out of the hands of the corporations and banks, who have milked the Canadian economy for decades.

Canada doesn't belong to the forces of economic globalism. Canada belongs to Canadians. It's time to take it back.