That's simply not true.

Ask people who have tried going to Canada from the US how welcoming border guards can be at their ports of entry. Say the wrong thing or try to cross with the wrong thing (in my friend's case, it was a set of tools used to repair electronics) and they will try to jam you up and deny entry.

I've faced the repair tools things in Europe. No meanness besides taking most of them.

I managed to save a few by arguing how ineffective as weapons they would be and then watch as two security staff try their best to pinch each other with wire strippers and such.

I've crossed into Canada multiple times and never had the guards comment on anything, personally? Was this a very recent thing and has there been a change in policy?

Just like US CBP, it depends on who you run into and the mood they are in. 10 years ago, I found cheap flights to Toronto from my city. When I got to Canadian Immigration, they asked, "Where are your guns?" and I said "I guess at home" just because it's a weird question that caught me off guard.

Canadian Border Guards then lectured me about responsible gun ownership, tore about my bags going "Since you don't keep track of your guns, let's find out if they are in your bags", went through my iPad movie content and finally was like "Ok, you are clear".

I've been back multiple times and since then, Scan Passport Check Computer STAMP PASSPORT Welcome to Canada.

I'm an American citizen, and when I cross into Canada I'm greeted courteously and professionally. I've never been pulled to secondary screening and I've never had a hostile interaction.

However, when returning to the United States, even as a citizen (born, not naturalized), I have frequently faced questioning about my social graph, who specifically I have contacted, and things of that nature. I thought it was one dickhead guard in Vermont, but it keeps happening.

Yup. They asked me what guns I had in the vehicle. Totally fair. I said none and expected they might want to search the vehicle, which would have been totally fair as well. But they weren't interested in that anymore, they started asking what kind of guns I and my passenger had at home. None, for me again, but my passenger admitted to having some at home 500 miles away. He later said he felt compelled to be honest because he didn't know what databases they might be hooked into. The border guard then began grilling him about the kinds of guns he had, what their purpose was, why he would own them, etc etc. Asshole invasive questions that served no purpose. I think the border guard just saw an opportunity to needle an American for being American. At least they let us through after that. They never searched the car, clearly they didn't have any legitimate concern about anything.

Airport security might not, but this is border control, which has the authority to deny entry in every country.

> Security at airports simply doesn't have this sort of power outside the US.

No qualms with your actual point, but immigration/customs is not the same thing as airport security, sorry but it's my pet peeve when people conflate them.

Oh my sweet summer child.