U.S. Coast Guard Has Right to Arm Boats on the Great Lakes: Commandant

HALIFAX (CP) – The commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard says his country is within its rights to arm vessels on the Great Lakes.

Admiral Thad Allen, who was in Halifax today to meet with the head of the Canadian Coast Guard, says it’s necessary to increase border security on the lakes since 9/11.

The U.S. Coast Guard has been conducting training exercises with machine-guns attached to their boats.

The drills were recently suspended while more public consultation is done, with nearby residents and politicians insisting the Great Lakes shouldn’t be militarized.

Toronto Mayor David Miller has said the move violates a 90-year-old treaty that forbids weapons on the lakes.

But a U.S. Coast Guard says that’s no longer an issue, since Canadian and American officials agreed 18 months ago that arming small boats wouldn’t violate the treaty.u