Tighter border shouldn’t strangle trade with Canada, says U.S. ambassador

The U.S. ambassador to Canada, Paul Cellucci, says that there should be stronger security at the border, but not so tight that it strangles cross-border trade, reports the Canadian Press.

On Tuesday, U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft took a harder stance, telling the Senate judiciary committee that the border was “rather porous” and didn’t have enough guards.

Cellucci said he agrees that the border should be beefed up in the short term in the aftermath of terrorist attacks in the United States on Sept. 11.

“In the long run, we would be better off putting the money into law enforcement, into intelligence and into strengthening the perimeter so that we can keep the flow of commerce and the flow of people, particularly U.S. citizens and Canadian citizens, moving smoothly on the U.S.-Canada border,” he said.

Cellucci made the remarks after addressing an international trade organization luncheon.