Prime minister intervention sought for balloon
By CATHY DOBSON
Special to the Times Herald
• August 5, 2009
The New Democratic Party's border critic calls it "The Hindenburg," a "peeping Tom balloon" and an insult to friendly relations between Canada and the United States.
Brian Masse, member of parliament for Windsor-West, was in Sarnia on Tuesday to call on Prime Minister Stephen Harper to bring the so-called spy balloon down.
It's been 10 days since a private American company launched a 50-foot helium balloon in Port Huron equipped with a $1 million camera to watch for illegal activity on the border. The company, Sierra Nevada, wants to sell the technology to U.S. federal agencies such as Homeland Security.
In the meanwhile, opposition is mounting on the Canadian side and more than 1,000 people have signed up for a Moon the Balloon protest in Sarnia's Centennial Park on Aug. 15.
"It's an invasion of privacy and also represents the militarization of the U.S./Canada border," Masse said.
Masse wants Harper and Canada's Minister of Public Safety Peter Van Loan to pressure Washington and stop the balloon from transmitting photos showing Canada until there is a consultation.
"I'm calling for immediate intervention to have the spy balloon taken down followed by meaningful consultation about the need for this," Masse said.
He said Canadians deserve to understand what will happen to the information collected by the balloon's camera, which is powerful enough to see the name of a ship from nine miles away.
Masse agreed with those who are organizing the protest in the park that Canadian rights are being violated without consultation.
"It shows disrespect," Masse said. "If we did the same thing on our side, their civil liberties organizations would be up in arms."
An individual member of parliament can't intervene, but the prime minister and a federal minister should have a strong enough relationship with the American government for open dialogue, he said.
"This has to come from a head of state."
(More: http://www.thetimesherald.com/apps/p...WS01/908050303 )
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