A bearded Canadian arrived at the international airport in Toronto, ready to embark on a ten-day working trip to California. He cleared customs. But then, while he waited in the departure lounge, he was approached by a man in uniform. This gentleman introduced himself as belonging to the Immigration and Naturalization Service of the United States of America. And he asked the Canadian to please come with him.
The INS officer led the way to a windowless cubicle. He sat down behind a desk and motioned his guest into the chair opposite: “Have you ever been turned back at the American border?”
“Never.”
“Have you ever entered or attempted to enter the United States illegally?”
“Of course not.”
“Do you have a criminal record?”
“Certainly not.”
“Is there a security file on you in the USA?”
“How would I know that? What’s this all about? You already passed me...
Ken McGoogan, who has written extensively on the fur trade and Arctic exploration, recently published Celtic Lightning: How the Scots and the Irish Created a Canadian Nation.
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