What's funny about the proposed fee made by Homeland Security is that both Canada and the USA have been working hard of late to make changes to make it a lot easier for Canadian and US citizens with valid passports to clear the borders faster. After all it is the worlds longest undefended border and for years including in my lifetime there wasn't a fence or camera to be seen on most of it. I have a hunch that's still the case in many areas. The US/Canadian border looks nothing like what one sees at the US southern border. LOL Never seen anything like that in any of the countries I have visited.
Even with all the new security and manpower needed on both sides of the US/Canadian border due to world events and not due to a relationship changes between the two countries, today if you sit at the US border you will see that many people simple flash a little card and drive off - no questions asked. It would surprise more than a few here just how many people are crossing both ways daily using that system - lanes of them! Not a whole lot of extra manpower needed or used!
Its that way in both directions with an equal number of US and Canadian licence plates. Large ads can be seen on both sides of the border crossing encouraging people to get a fast pass.
It seems to me that it all come down to the budget writer having skipped one to many classes at school in regards to the Economics of World Trade & Marketing.