Uh-oh, eh?
As more and more officers were called in, the six manga books I had were examined in detail. They were looking, they told me, for pornographic, obscene and adult material. “The age rating is on the back of each book.” (each manga book has ratings like 13+ or 15+ - mine were 13+). I was informed that I could have put different covers on or done anything else I could to get the pornography in and that if I spoke anymore, the books would be seized. So I stood there and watched my previously new books get examined page by page, thumbed through and pressed open because it was assumed if I read manga, that I was a sex offender.
It's pretty awful to hear, and the victim goes into great detail about the history of the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) and their history of seizing books. So Canadians and travelers into the country, be careful what you carry in for the time being. I have an e-mail out to the CBSA to see if I can get any comment on what their official stance/policy is for manga.
To echo yuricon, this isn't new (the post he referenced was made in 2006).
Canadian customs operate with little oversight, employ arbitrary enforcement which differs from province to province, and act in open defiance of Canada's own Supreme Court. Agents apply obscenity standards which are lower than that of Canadian law, meaning material which would be legal inside Canada may still be seized at the border. But Canada gets free healthcare, so it's a wash.
Seriously, look at the beady smirk and the molestor mustache on the agent to the right. I wouldn't leave a kid with that guy.
And please no Canadian jokes....
Remind me to ship everything to myself via secret underground postal services when I get back from Japan.
On a side note, this article's picture made me laugh.
lol