when arriving i found immigration waiting for me and my wife and they knew i had been arrested in 1973 and1974,..i've just left a government job after 20 years what do they care they put us back on a plane after holding us in their offices...what's up with this

"what's up with this" might be easier for you to answer than any of us.
You know what you were arrested for. Are you from the US?
I think we are doing the same thing here (US), aren't we?

The border information published in a variety of ways is clear and explicit. People with a criminal record will not be admitted to Canada. I am told this even applies to people with a simple DUI.

I didn't know they allowed people with an arrest record to hold government jobs. (I learn something new every day)

What's up with this??? Perhaps you should have checked on this before you decided to travel to another country.
Yes, Scarlett, the USA also does this. And I don't blame Canada or USA.
I have a friend who made a very foolish mistake back in the 1960's in his hippie days , paid for it, and is still paying in some ways.
He can never, ever go to the States. But he checked it out and knows this. He would never risk going and getting caught.

Does this mean that Martha Stewart will never be able to visit Montreal ?

ttt

Actually for minor crimes, including minor marijauana offenses from the hippy days, it is possible to get an amnesty through the country's consulates or embassies. I know of a couple of people who have done this and though it was a lot of paperwork, including references, it was pretty straightforward.

Of course this does not include property or other major crimes and I think it would have to be at least 15-20 years agop to be considered.

Martha Stewart not allowed into Canada??

Now that's a good thing. . . . !!

An arrest is a far cry from a conviction. Are they actually barring people who were arested, but not convicted?

I have a very common name, and I always get pulled aside for special treatment, but they never tell me what my name-mate did, nor how they know I'm not him.

I think there is much more to this story. More likely thecarriagehouse's name showed up on a specific list of some sort. It is possible depending on the type of arrest; but simply having an arrest record (ie: DUI from 1973) would not have been enough to reject his entrance to Canada.

LOL Borealis!
She is now a convicted felon so it seems that she is part of that select group who has to stay in the US from now on~

alright for all you guessers i was covicted in 1974 for arson and conspiricy,30 years ago..,and i wanted to do a little shopping ,no one in the u.s. is warning us of this restriction, and by the way in the lasdt 10 months i've been in 10 countries on business without a problem i think those canadians should advertise this fact and lighten up, oh and yes ex offenders can work for the government even at high levels......

arson and conspiracy? !!
My surprise is not that Canada did not let you in, but that anywhere else did!

The US Government does not hire felons or allow it's employees to associate with known felons.
What sort of job did you have that you saw was government?

Probably working in the prison laundry.

The Washington Post recently had a story on this issue. It said, in part: "Actually, most countries bar foreign visitors with criminal records for some period of time. But each country has widely differing rules on what qualifies as a serious enough infraction to bar the door. Canada's rules generally apply to any indictable criminal offense, including drunk driving and shoplifting -- offenses they can find on various criminal databases."

"i think those canadians should advertise this fact and lighten up"

tch-You must be joking, it is common knowledge, especially since 9/11 that the borders are tighter, where would you like us to "advertise"?

And, I am assuming that you served your time and paid your debt to society, BUT, a convicted felon from Canada travelling to the US would not be allowed entry either. Whether he has a Government postition or not. You cannot lay blame on Canada for not letting you through when this policy works both ways at the Canadian-U.S. border. Not that you are necessarily a dangerous person any more, but how many arsonists would you want entering your country??

Having worked in the past in the immigration field along the northern border, I can state with certainty that both countries have restrictions pertaining to citizens with criminal convictions crossing into each other's country. For the US, Canadians with prior convictions need to file for a special non-immigrant visa waiver. One used to have to go to US immigration court to receive the waiver, but I'm not sure if that applies any longer. One can make inquiries at US consulates in Canada or approach US immigration authorities at the border for more information. I've seen numerous cases where Canadian long haul truck drivers, whose companies do business in the US, were stopped at the border and refused entry due to a criminal record in Canada. Obviously this works a hardship on the driver whose job may be dependent on him/her crossing into the US on a haul. The process of obtaining the waiver is lengthy, so one should plan accordingly.
As for US citizens with criminal records wanting to travel to Canada, essentially the same applies. US citizens should check with Canadian consulates for the waiver process, which also probably takes a long while. With so much immigration problems due to 9-11, I doubt whether either country places a high priority on processing non-immigrant visa waivers. Finally, to a great extent, immigration authorities will rely in the honesty on the traveler to determine whether a criminal record exists. No matter what they say, their computer databases are not that extensive. How you were discovered I've no idea but the checking system is getting more accurate and up to date.

canada now has access to the u.s. fbi data base,the staff told me to thank pres bush,and that they were waiting for nine more people that day when our passports were scanned in philly they knew we were coming, no where here in the us travel agent, travel advisories or airports have any warning signs or we would not have wasted 1500 dollars, and taken our tourism dollars.elsewhere,