Coble assesses security of northern border

 BY PAUL B. JOHNSON
 ENTERPRISE STAFF WRITER

  TRIAD – One of the United States’ best allies is diligently working to help America shore up its security, Rep. Howard Coble said after return*ing from a congressional trip to Cana*da this week.
  Coble joined several other con*gressmen on a four-day trip to Cana*da that concluded Thursday. The chairman of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security met with top Canadian elected leaders as well as key security officials.
  “I feel that the meeting was produc*tive,” Coble said. “If 9/11 did nothing else, it has opened the lines of com*munication even further with our neighbors. And we don’t have any bet*ter friend in the world than Canada.” While Coble couldn’t discuss specifics for security reasons, he said Canadian and American officials constantly share intelligence infor*m at i o n .
  While Canada and America want to emphasize security along the border and at ports, Coble said he under*stands that tightened security can’t wreck commerce between the two na*t ions.
  The United States and Canada are each other’s largest trading partners. According to Coble’s office, $1.3 bil*lion in trade crosses the Canada-U.S. border daily.
  Home furnishings represents a key part of American-Canadian trade. Canada exported nearly $1.5 billion in home furnishings to America last year, second only to China, according to the Mann, Armistead & Epperson Residential Furniture Industry Overview. American furniture ex*ports to Canada totaled $977.7 million last year.
  “We cannot turn a blind eye to the significance of security,” Coble said. “But at the same time, we need to strike some sort of balance whereby commerce won’t be impeded.”

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