Canadian patrol agents left their posts twice in the last month because they feared that armed men trying to flee U.S. authorities were headed toward the border. With no one left to process cars trying to enter Canada, the border was shut down for several hours during both incidents.

If the newly-elected Canadian prime minister gets his way, the border guards may soon be allowed to carry weapons.

The union representing Canada's agents says the reason they have never carried weapons is an "image thing." They want to portray Canada as peaceful and having a gun strapped to your side doesn't do that, union officials say.

But they admit they are not living in "Mr. Roger's" neighborhood anymore as recent times have proven.

On Jan. 24, there was a shootout at the Peace Arch border crossing as Whatcom County deputies chase down two California murder suspects and shoot one of them.

Both were captured on the U.S. side, but some of the Canadian border guards walked off their posts just in case trouble came their way.

Then, a few weeks later on Feb. 10, news that an armed and dangerous man might be headed north sent Canadian guards walking again.

In both cases, the border was shut down for hours, leaving travelers snarled in the lapse of security coverage.

"I really think they need to be able to carry guns to make sure this doesn't happen again," said one stranded traveler on the 10th.

And now, Canada's new conservative government feels the same way. Prime Minister Steven Harper is vowing to "give customs and border guards the training and equipment they need, including side-arms."

"There is always a concern when we hear someone is armed; when we know someone is armed," said Surrey Border guard George Scott.

As rules stand now, guards like Scott can walk off the job if they feel they are in danger. They've done so about a dozen times in the last four months.

But their union says it's about image. With no gun, there is no threat when greeting people in and out of Canada, which is the peaceful image Canada has wanted to project.

But guards want to provide protection like their armed U.S. counterparts, and stop the inconveniences to travelers trying to head in and out of the two countries.

"It's been very frustrating," Scott said. "This has been a 25-year battle. Just getting bullet-proof vests and batons took decades."

Harper says he will also look at revamping how many guards are at each post. In some, there is only one guard manning the crossing. The U.S. has at least two per post.