: I've never had problems crossing into the US as a Canadian and from what I've
: heard neither do Americans crossing into Canada. It must all be part of
: the harrasment program governments have against their own citizens!!!

It has to do with the fact that Canadians can buy a lot of things more cheaply in the United States -- especially in some border states (like Montana) that have no sales tax... and in other states, the sales tax is less than the GST and whatever PST (provincial sales tax) is charged... not to mention the effect that the exchange rate has. I spent 7 1/2 years living near the Canadian border in northeast Montana. Our Canadian neighbors would routinely come down to shop and buy gas. (The little local bar sold a lot of cigarettes and beer to Canadian customers because it was significantly cheaper for them to buy it in the US.) Some folks would change into clothes that they bought (and throw out receipts, tags and shopping bags) so they could get back across the border without paying duty. Saving 14% on sales taxes alone is a major incentive. Given the tax situation, if you're a Canadian and toting back a new-looking, expensive item, the folks in Customs are going to want proof that you *didn't* buy it while you were in the US and ditch the receipt. That's why they don't care about US citizens hauling boats into Canada-- they don't suspect that we're trying to dodge their taxes. The only thing I've ever been asked is whether I had anything with me that I was planning to *leave* in Canada (e.g. gifts for people). A friend of mine once drove across Canada while moving from one end of the US to the other, with a U-Haul truck-- *that* got their attention when he crossed the border, and the back of the truck had to be sealed by Customs when he entered-- and the seal unbroken when he re-entered the US. My guess that a US citizen coming back into the US with an *empty* kayak rack on the roof might attract more attention than one coming back with a kayak.

It's not a matter of whether one agrees with (or likes) the policy-- it's a matter of understanding where the folks are "coming from" (and looking for) who have the job of enforcing it.

By the same token, if you're crossing the border into Canada with minor children who don't have BOTH parents with them, you'd better have documentation that you have parental permission to do so...(especially if you are a relative) they're on the lookout for non-custodial parents kidnapping their kids & moving to Canada. When I took my 14 year old niece with me to Victoria, I had her father's death certificate and a notorized letter from her mother with me-- and they did inspect those documents and ask questions. (It would have been easier to bring a boat over the border than her!)

Julie Kanarr