In the past week and a half, airport security has become a popular topic of conversation among the people I know.
Since last week’s terrorist attacks in New York City and Washington D.C., it seems everyone has developed an opinion about how to combat terrorism, prevent hijackings and ensure that Canadian and American borders are safe and secure.
In the United States, news programs were reporting last week that airport security had been tightened to the point where every piece of luggage is being opened and inspected manually.
Read Also
Rural emergency room closures continue to be vexing problem
Staffing issues are at the root of disruptions and closures in hospital emergency departments, both in rural and urban Canadian locations.
One American television station reported that disposable razors, fingernail clippers and fingernail files were among the items being confiscated by airport personnel. Another suggested that plastic butter knives had been removed from airport restaurants to ensure the safety of passengers.
Conditions at North American airports were not always this desperate.
Not long ago, the most obvious security threat at Canadian airports was the entry of foot-and-mouth, a disease that hasn’t been diagnosed in this country for decades.
Earlier this summer, I took an overseas flight to Ireland and was somewhat surprised at the lack of foot-and-mouth precautions. When I departed from Pearson International Airport in Toronto, there were a few cardboard floor displays warning about the potential devastation the disease could cause.
Travellers who noticed the displays could help themselves to a pamphlet describing the potential impact on Canada’s beef industry and explaining the precautions that should be taken.
When I returned to Canada, I expected a more thorough interrogation by customs officials.
That didn’t happen. Instead, I answered a few questions on a declarations form, confirmed the value of goods I had purchased abroad and flashed my passport to a customs official.
Then, after collecting my luggage and walking across a piece of disinfectant mat, I was back on Canadian soil.
There were no questions about where I’d been and no apparent concerns about where I was going or how many pairs of mud-covered galoshes I was carrying in my suitcase.
All told, it was a trouble-free border crossing with no delays and few questions asked.
Unfortunately, I’m still not sure whether that was a good thing.
