Border agency mulls giving guns to airport officers

How many incidents have warrant border officers to carry arms? Lets not become "Americanized," and have ever department carrying arms!

Why not? All enforcement agencies at an airport should be armed, that includes Customs, Immigration etc.

We know the threat that travels through our airports, it makes sense to ensure our protectors are fully armed.

CBSA is checking passengers coming off flights in which passengers were scanned/screened/patted/proded prior to boarding.

IMO, If the concern that the police are overburdened is the actual driving force then the best solution would be to hire and train more police.

I totally agree with you. We have to do it. I think we have to step up our security because of the times..

Thank you people (well, trit and ken!).

I fail to see why arming our enforcement people at airports makes us 'Americanised'.

Common sense.

Personally I think that we should follow the Yanks example and bin the crappy security contractors at YYZ and have a Federal agency that deals with all aspects of port security (that includes sea/lake ports, airports, land crossings and any other means of getting into Canada).

Our achilles heel at the moment is our piss-poor security at airports. We tender out a contract that the lowest bidder wins. The successful contractor then hires the cheapest labour available.
Half the security guards at YYZ can't speak coherent English (or French) and many obviously come from Pakistan or Bangladesh and I know that you don't have to be a citizen to get hired as security.

Am I alone is seeing the irony of having immigrants from countries that are in full-on Jihad mode checking my bags as I board a flight?

Canada deserves better.

A Federal agency for port security, staffed by well paid, motivated and well trained CANADIANS might be a good idea.

We could even look at hiring our soldiers who have proven themselves in combat. It would be a great spot for our vets to work.