The forgotten border

I flew into Detroit after work last night so I could get a fresh start for my appointment in London, Ontario this morning. I paid my $1.50 ($2.00 Canadian) so I could cross the bridge into Canada. I'm still not sure why I had to pay to leave the United States, but then again, I don't get out much. When I got to the other side of the bridge I had to pull over to the side for the Canadian border patrol. ( I had my money out but there was no toll for entering Canada...just for getting out of the U.S. ) After answering all her questions about my citizenship, purpose of visit, do I have any fruits or vegetables, etc., I was told I had to pull over to the immigration office. I looked over to my left and saw other cars leaving their respective booths and going on their merry way. Glancing to the right toward the immigration office there was a desolate parking lot. Confused, I put on my wittiest smile and asked what part of the test did I fail? Note to self: Border patrol officers have no sense of humor!
After showing my driver's license and birth certificate to the immigration officer, who was wearing a bullet proof vest (note to self #2:Time to get a passport) I was grilled for another 15-20 minutes on where I was going, how long was I going to be there, did I have any firearms, etc. Finally I was allowed to proceed. Typically I would be a little irritated by all the hassle, but I left the immigration office feeling pretty good about the security of our borders.
I finished my business in London in about 3 hours or so. I still had about 5 hours until my flight in Detroit. It is about a 2 hour drive so I figured I should leave right away to allow enough time to get through customs. I stopped on the Canadian side and paid my $1.75 ($2.50 Canadian) to leave the country. Not only did I have to pay to leave Canada, but I had to pay more than I did to leave the U.S. Anyway, I drove over the bridge in anticipation of a long wait at the border. As it was, I pulled directly up to a booth and was asked exactly 3 questions and then was allowed to enter the country. No driver's license, no birth certificate, NOTHING!
With our elections a matter of days away, and being under terrorist's threats from Islamo-Fascists who would like nothing better than to derail our democratic process, why is it more difficult to get into Canada than it is to the United States? Have we learned nothing from the bombings in Madrid or Jakarta?
During the last presidential debate the question of security at our borders was asked. Both President Bush and Senator Kerry answered the question with a singular vision toward the southern border. I'm sorry, but that isn't good enough. The U.S./Canadian border stretches many more miles than that of our border with Mexico. If this is a true measure of how we protect it, then we are headed for some serious trouble. If we don't tighten up our northern border with Canada, we may be heading for another 9/11, or possibly something far worse.