Huxley graduate student Jennilee Peelc and assistant professor Troy Abel hope to improve Canadian and U.S. policies regarding protection of native animals near the countries' common border. Photo by Hailey Tucker
Western's Border Policy Research Institute awarded two grants of more than $10,000 each to research action taken by the United States and Canada regarding border-related issues.
One of the grants, which was awarded to Western’s environmental studies department, will be used to research conservation measures taken between the U.S. and Canadian border on wildlife that inhabits the area, specifically in the greater North Cascades.
Troy Abel, assistant professor of the environmental policy program, said with the findings from their research, they hope to eventually bridge the gap between both countries’ policies on protecting native animals in that area.
Margaret Stock, visiting research associate for the BPRI, said differences in views and law result in constraints when trying to come to an agreement of border security for both countries. At the same time, Canada and the U.S. have to be careful in preventing the border from becoming a hostile environment.
“You have to manage the border in a way that protects the innocent and punishes the guilty,” Stock said.
Huxley graduate student Jennilee Peelc will be assisting Abel in the grant he was awarded. Peelc’s research may reveal new reasons why the two countries should adopt policies together and obtain experience in the fieldwork involved in research projects, Abel said.
“It really helps students understand why they are learning these things in class,” said Paul Storer, an economics professor involved with BPRI.
Most of the money goes to student assistants and travel, said Don Alper, director of BPRI.
Western political science professor Bidisha Biswas was awarded the second grant to study how Canada and the United States have been working together to address the tension and concerns of people crossing the border.
Biswas said she will be studying individuals and groups not just associated with terrorism, but involved in illegal activity, and how the two governments work together in taking precautionary security measures.
“There’s a lot of circumstances that have changed,” Biswas said. “I want to try to understand whether border policies have actually changed.”
Biswas said the perception of President Barack Obama from Canadians and Americans have been favorable in making America become a more peaceful country. At the same time, the president is still new, so there has yet to be big change, and perceptions can change based upon such changes, she said.
The Bush administration was being one-sided in working with Canadian border patrol to heighten security after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Biswas said. This created tension between the two countries, and it was often difficult for citizens of both countries to cross borders.
Because the two countries interact at the border, they both have to be cooperative but at the same time have their own laws and privacy restrictions, Stock said.
“[Canadians] don’t see threats the same way we do,” Alper said. “They’re not obsessed with terrorism as we are.”
Additional reporting by Jordan Stead The Western Front
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