The US ambassador in Canada is postponing the advice of Ottawa's travel, saying that his country does not search phones on the border and arguing that some Americans traveling to Canada have a hard time.
“We invite Canadians to come and invest, spend hard -earned Canadian dollars in American companies,” said US ambassador Pete Hoekstra in Canadian Press on Friday in an interview.
“If the Canadian had disappointing experience in the United States, I do not deny that this happened, but I say that this is an isolated event and this is not a model.”
In April, Ottawa updated his advice for Canadians traveling to the United States to warn them against the possibility of stopping them if the entry was refused.
“Expect control in entrance ports, including electronic devices,” reads new guidelines.
There have been reports of intensified Canadians control at the border, searching phones and in some cases.
Canadians take less travel to the USA due to fears about the strict new means of security of Trump administration, including an increased possibility of stopping. Statistics Canada claims that air travels fell by 13 percent, and land travels fell by almost a third.
Hoekstra insisted that the fears of searching for devices were not justified in reality.
“When coming to the USA, it is a Canadian decision. Searching for devices and all this is not a justified fear. We do not do it. America is a hospitable place,” he said.
Americans also studied on the border: Hoekstra
He said some Americans expressed similar fears about Canada.
“I heard it from Americans coming to Canada, okay saying:” You know, we did not receive a warm party when we reached Canadian customs, “he said.
Asked if these reports from American travelers include arbitrary phone search and long stop, Hoekstra said that there are consular cases of Americans complaining about the embassy at the Canadian border agency (CBSA).
“We said:” OK, it could be an isolated event. Perhaps there was a Canadian border person who had a bad day, and thought that they would pull it out, you know, someone abroad, “he said.
In the CBSA statement, he said that its officers follow the Code of Procedure and the Federal Code of Ethics, which requires them to treat everyone evenly, and that the Agency is investigating all complaints regarding poor treatment.
“It is expected that employees will proceed in a way that all the time maintains the values of honesty, respect and professionalism,” wrote the spokeswoman Karine Martel.
“Treatment of people with respect, dignity and honesty is of fundamental importance for the relationship of our border services officers with public opinion, and the key part of this is to serve all travelers in a non -discriminatory way.”
Hoekstra said that a trip to the USA is from natural persons.
“If you decide that you are not going to go down or anything else, then your decision and there is a lack of opportunities. There are great things in America,” said Hoekstra.
He also noticed the case of the journalist CNN Christiane Amanpour, who recently said that she had prepared to visit the USA last month, as if “she was going to North Korea” – with a “smoking phone”, which did not contain any personal data – just to experience warm welcome.
“It's like: (we) rhetoric has passed and let's look at the real experiences that people have here,” said Hoekstra.
Airlines cut flights between Canada and the USA due to a decrease in demand, and the Flight Center Travel Group Canada reported almost 40 % of flight decline between two countries year -on -year in February.
The survey at the beginning conducted by Leger Marketing for the Canadian Research Association showed that 52 percent of respondents believe that “it is no longer safe for all Canadians traveling to the United States”, and 29 -percentage does not agree, and 19 percent say they are not sure. Hardly the same proportion said that they personally feel unwanted in the USA
Groups 2SLGBTQ+ have decided to participate in the World Pride events in Washington and the UN in New York, citing control at the border when Trump's administration reduces the protection of transgender and non-binary people.