The Current - US limits Canadian access to border-straddling library

Episode Date: March 24, 2025

U.S. officials are making it harder for Canadians to access the iconic Haskell Free Library that straddles the border between Quebec and Vermont, a shared building that used to be a sign of friendship between the two nations. We hear from a library board member about how the town of Stanstead is pushing back against the move.

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and let your email do the talking. This is a CBC podcast. Hello, I'm Matt Galloway and this is The Current Podcast. For the past 120 years, the Haskell Free Library and Opera House has been a symbol of harmony between Canada and the United States. It stands right on the border, straddling Stansted, Quebec and Derby Line, Vermont. There's a line on the floor.

It's a line of tape where that border is, but no more division than that. The Haskell's main entrance is on the US side, but Canadians have always just walked in and out. But that changes as of today. It's a move decided by the US. Sylvie Boudreau is the president of the board of trustees for the Haskell Free Library and Opera House, and that's where she is this morning, where we have reached her. Good morning, Sylvie.

Good morning, Mr. Kelly. Many years ago when I was a reporter in Montreal, I remember doing a feature about the Haskell Free Library and Opera House. It's this wonderful symbol of unity. That's changed. You were summoned to a meeting by the US border officials last week. What happened? They called me, they wrote to me to meet on Tuesday, last Tuesday, and I met with them.

It was two US BP, two US border officer, US custom and the RCMP. And this is when they told me that starting today, the access that has been there for over 100 years will be restricted only to a staff member, two member of the library with their card because it's going to be checked and the other the other visitors the other Canadians they will have to go through the official port of entry and on October 1st it's going to be completely

closed. What do you think of this? It was something in the making, I can tell you that. We've been, it's been over two years that we having discussion and we were able at one point to to talk with them, to reason with them, and now it happens. It's very disappointing to everyone. We all have kind of feelings, frustration, angry, disbelief. But we are stronger than this and we will rise above all this and we will make it better. There's another step coming into effect in October. Tell us about that. Yeah, the step will be that no one's going to be able to use that access, you know, on the sidewalk. It's going to be completely closed.

So right now I am with some, what you call it, contractors right now, you know, trying to make the side door being our Canadian entrance. But inside, I'm telling you, Mr. Kelly, inside it's business as usual. American and Canadian will still be together and we will still do events and we will still do activities and we'll have films and everything. It won't stop us. Two weeks ago, the author Louise Penny was on this very program talking about her boycott of any travel to the U.S. and she spoke about concluding her next book tour at the Haskell in October, precisely because of what it represents. So tell us about that.

What does the Haskell mean to you and the community? It means unity. It's a place where politics does not belong. This is a place where the two communities, this is families meet and share literacy, hearts and culture. This is a symbol of, I call that my little Swiss learning here. It's really a place, a neutral place, a place where I'm getting always emotional when I talk about that because it's too bad that we have politics doing all this. And you've got an interesting perspective, Sylvie, because you've been a border agent. And now the US Customs and Border Protection say it's making these changes because of a

rise in illicit border activity. Do you buy that reason? Yeah. Listen, I'm not in the secrets anymore. I do have contacts, though. And there always had been illegal crossing, always. And I mean, our border, it's impossible to have it, you know, that no one's going to cross. I mean, we have rocks, just rocks, you know, making the border right now. But an increase, I don't think, I don't know. Like I said, I'm not in the secrets, but I haven't seen anything.

No one talked about, to me about it. And usually, you know, on the Canadian side, at least, you know, sometimes I hear about it. But I haven't heard anything. Recently the U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem visited the Haskell. That was back in January. And she hopped back and forth. As I mentioned, there is, for people who have never seen it, there's literally a line on the floor with the U.S. on I mentioned, there is, for people who have never seen it, there's literally a line on the floor

with the US on one side, Canada on the other side. So she was hopping back and forth across this line, saying USA on one side and 51st state on Canada's side. How did that go over with the people there? My employees, my volunteers were in disbelief. They were angry. It's a lack of respect. But not very surprised, not very surprised, but that's a lack of respect. And I think that a lot

of people, you know, with all the articles and all the press about it, you know, all agree with us. So what do you do now? I mean, you're going to have to deal with this reality, but how do you maintain the spirit of unity in the face of this division? Listen, I don't know if you saw how much money with the GoFundMe we raised to date. It's over $135,000. It's amazing.135,000. It's amazing.

I mean... And what do you want to do with that money, Sylvie? It's going to be for the Canadian entrance. I don't want, because we have a lot of comments, you know, that some Canadians are saying we feel like a second-class citizen, like the segregation, we have to use the back door to come in. It's not going to be a back door. It's going to be the Canadian door. It's going to be the beautiful entrance. Right now,

it's ugly. Right now, it was an emergency exit, but we're going to make it wonderful. And with that money we raise with the GoFundMe, we don't have to wait for grants. We don't have to wait for anything. The only thing we're going to have to wait, it's going to be a probation from the Heritage Vermont and Quebec, from permits from the town, and that's it. So we are already on the road. We're going to have something incredible and visitors and Canadians that don't want, don't have passports. It's not that we don't want to go to the United States. Some people don't have passports. I have children in buses that are coming. They don't have passports.

They cannot go through the Port of Entry. Well, what you're going to do, I love it with the money, make the Haskell great again. Go for it, Sylvie. It's in good hands. This is great. Sylvie, thank you so much for your time. And good luck.

Thank you. Sylvie Boudreau is the president of the board of trustees for the Haskell Free Library and Opera House in Stansted, Quebec.