more american retoric for stockwell day to put an end too

U.S. bars Canadian engineer from aerospace conference
Montreal Gazette / February 01, 2007

MONTREAL - An American aerospace conference that previously welcomed participants from Canada is now restricted to U.S. citizens because of security regulations.

Veteran consultant Stewart Bain, who has presented papers at the High Temple conference on composite materials in Arizona for the last three years, said he was refused entry for the first time last month. He was told the security clearance heused to attend the conference in the past no longer meets U.S. standards.

"I'm very disappointed," said Bain, 44, a board member of the Quebec Aerospace Association, who works from offices in both Montreal and Ottawa.

"When I talk to my American colleagues, they're all scratching their heads saying 'why did this happen? What changed between last year and this year?'"

Attendance at the conference, a gathering of leading experts on high-temperature polymer matrix composites, has always been limited to Americans and Canadians. That's because some of the information presented falls under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), U.S. security rules that limit access to American military and satellite technology.

Bain said he doesn't blame organizers from the University of Dayton Research Institute in Ohio for the change, as the decision "was over their heads."

It's the latest example of Canadians being refused access to U.S. technology -and potentially lucrative contracts with American companies -in the name of national security.

Last month, 24 Canadian workers at a Mirabel, Que., helicopter plant were denied access to ITAR-controlled data because they are also nationals of countries under embargo by the U.S.

Around the same time, news surfaced that certain clients with the Royal Bank of Canada were refused permission to open U.S. dollar accounts because they were also citizens of six U.S.-sanctioned countries, including Iran.

Such incidents have grabbed the attention of the Canadian government, with Prime Minister Stephen Harper publicly expressing concern.

Negotiations have been held to make the U.S. security restrictions less tedious for Canadian aerospace companies doing business south of the border.

It's especially relevant with Canada's aerospace companies now eager to obtain offsets stemming from a $17-billion plan to upgrade the Canadian military.

Since the Canadian government has agreed to purchase aircraft from American defence giants Boeing Co. and Lockheed Martin Corp., Canadian contractors would need authorization to access relevant U.S. data.

"One of the key recommendations we've been making ... is the need to ensure that the government of Canada acquires all of the necessary technical data and intellectual property rights for Canadian firms," said Peter Boag, president of the Aerospace Industries Association of Canada.

Although ITAR rules are less strict for Canada than other U.S. allies, critics say compliance can be costly and time consuming -especially for smaller companies with less administrative help.

In 2004, almost half of Canadian space companies surveyed by graduate students at York University's Schulich School of Business reported delays of three to six months on projects that require ITAR technology.

And Canadian companies are less likely to complete projects with a U.S. partner nowthan during the time before 1999, when Canada was exempt from most ITAR rules, the survey revealed.

Similarly, Bain said as he understands it, the reason he can't participate in the conference stems from bureaucratic concerns -not real security issues.

From what he was told by a U.S. government official, Bain said he believes his attendance would require some type of ITAR authorization.

A reporter's calls to a conference organizer were referred to the Ohio institute's security office, where repeated requests for an explanation weren't returned.

Since he can't attend the conference, Bain said he has asked an American colleague to present his paper for him.

What's so disappointing, he said, is that he genuinely recognizes the importance of complying with U.S. security concerns.

In his office he keeps a shredder, which he uses to destroy any sensitive material. He gets audited every year by Canada's Controlled Goods Directorate -a department of Public Works and Government Services Canada.

"What I'm concerned about -and put out by -is that I complied with all this," he said.

"This conference changed all the rules."