Canadian Party Vows Armed Border Guards

[tuvor]

VANCOUVER, British Columbia - A prominent member of Canada's incoming Conservative government said Wednesday the party will stand behind its promise to arm border guards, a day after guards fled their posts because two murder suspects were heading for the border from California.

Vic Toews, who will soon be a part of the government after serving as Canada's justice critic in opposition, said he did not relish the sight of Canadian border guards leaving their posts as gunmen approached.

Some unarmed guards abandoned their posts at four crossings along the British Columbia border on Tuesday when they heard the murder suspects were coming their way, said Paula Shore, a spokeswoman for the Canada Border Services Agency.

"A few officers exercised their right to refuse to work because of what they perceived as imminent danger," Shore said. Under Canada's labor code, "any worker has the right to refuse to work if they feel they are in imminent danger," she said.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060126/ap_on_re_ca/canada_border_guns

(My question: No one was killed or injured; How would guns have helped in this instance?)

[daleo]

1. Canadians could have participated in the shootout

Then the Conservatives could have talked about how they were being tough on crime.

It isn't supposed to make sense.

[Canuckistanian]

2. This sounds fishy

Just when a lot of controversy about this issue is brewing, BANG, this happens.

Only coincidentally the day after a Conservative victory.
:tinfoilhat:

[tuvor]

3. Maybe it is concidence, but it's the "solution" that concerns me n/t

[Harper_is_Bush]

4. They're not smart enough to orchestrate this. And guns for border guards

is not much of a big deal to the average Canadian I'd say.

[benEzra]

5. If the murderers had not been apprehended by the armed U.S. police

(My question: No one was killed or injured; How would guns have helped in this instance?)

It would certainly give the border guards some more options.

As it was, had the murderers not been apprehended by the armed U.S. police before reaching the border, then the (presumably armed) murderers would have confronted the (unarmed) Canadian border guards at the crossing. What then? The border guards had three choices, as I see it:

(A) Confront the armed murderers with Harsh Language.

(B) Wave the armed murderers through and hope they don't shoot you.

(C) Leave your unarmed post so if the murderers come through, you're not there to threaten them.

It turns out the armed U.S. authorities caught the bad guys before they reached the border, but had they not, the murderers would have entered right into Canada...and armed Canadian police would eventually have to confront them, assuming they could have been located after entering Canada.