Bush pacifies Canadian border angst Sheldon Alberts, CanWest News Service

WASHINGTON - President George W. Bush on Monday reassured Canadians he won't be deploying troops or building security fences along the Canada-U.S. border, and is seeking ways to ensure new identification requirements are not too ''restrictive'' for frequent travellers.

Speaking one week after he announced he would send 6,000 National Guard soldiers to help seal the American border with Mexico, Bush said fears the Canada-U.S. border would face a similar fate are unfounded.

"It's very important for the Canadians to understand there's a difference in the debate going on between the northern border and the southern border," Bush told an audience of restaurant industry workers in Chicago.

Bush's homeland security adviser, Fran Townsend, sparked worries last week about a possible military presence along the Canada-U.S. border when she told reporters the White House was "open" to hearing proposals about extending the National Guard presence to the northern boundary.

Bush, however, stressed he is sensitive to concerns raised by Prime Minister Stephen Harper that Canada would suffer serious damage to tourism and trade from any measure that slows cross-border travel.

Starting Jan. 1, 2008, the Bush administration plans to require all travellers entering the U.S. from Canada to carry either a passport or other approved secure document.

Federal and provincial politicians have objected to the plan because they fear Canadians and Americans who currently do not have passports will cancel travel plans rather than obtain new identification.

The U.S. has said it will introduce a wallet-sized PASS card as a cheaper alternative to a passport which will allow border guards to automatically confirm the identification and citizenship of American travellers. Harper's Conservatives have rejected the idea of a national identification card for Canadians, arguing it would be too expensive to produce.

Harper ''is very aware and worried about an identification card that would be difficult to get into the hands of Canadians, and would make it difficult for Canada to continue to attract conventions,'' said Bush, who was responding to a question from a Torontonian attending the Chicago speech.

"We're working on it, to make sure that whatever documents are needed will not be restrictive, but nevertheless informational."

The Department of Homeland Security, he stressed, is looking for a border security solution that is "compatible not only with our needs but your needs," Bush said.

The U.S. Senate last week passed an amendment to a U.S. immigration reform bill that would delay implementation of the new travel ID rules until June 2009, partly because the Bush administration has not fully consulted with Canada about how the new Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative will work.

The proposed delay must still be approved in joint negotiations with the House of Representatives before becoming law. It is unlikely the travel rules will be repealed even if Canadians are granted a reprieve on implementation.

Still, experts in Canada-U.S. relations say they have been struck by Bush's increased awareness of Canadian border concerns and believe it's evidence of how the political relationship between the two countries has improved since Harper took office.

"When it comes to Canada, there seems to be a greater degree of interest in the relationship and goodwill towards Canada that is seeping into the system," said Paul Frazer, a former Canadian diplomat in Washington who now works as a governmental relations consultant.

"All other things being equal, the present atmosphere permits people to be more conciliatory on the passport issue. It doesn't mean in the end we will get what we want. But, in a sour atmosphere, there is nothing that tips a politician on to a more positive side."

Concerns about immigration and border security exploded in the U.S. last December when the House of Representatives passed legislation to build 1,100 kilometres of security fencing along the Mexican border and increase criminal penalties against illegal immigrants.

The House immigration bill also included a proposal to study construction of a security fence along the Canadian border, though the idea has been struck from the Senate version.

In his speech on Monday, Bush urged Americans to conduct the debate over immigration and border security in a civil manner.

"It's important for Americans to understand the language of this debate must never say that Canada and/or Mexico are the enemies of the United States,'' he said. ''They're friends of the United States. They're our friends and neighbours."