Cornwall Island is entirely on the Canadian side of the border but south of the new border post, which is at the north end of the Seaway International Bridge. (Google Maps)

The federal government said it stands behind its decision to arm border guards despite a report warning of the potential for violence at a crossing on Mohawk land near Cornwall, Ont.

Arming officers ensures the security of the community, the travelling public and Canadian border service personnel said Christopher McCluskey, a spokesman for Public Safety Minister Peter Van Loan.

His remarks were in response to questions about an internal report from the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) from October 2008 that warned of potential violence if the plan to arm border guards went ahead. The report was obtained by The Canadian Press.

The Conservatives had promised in 2006 to arm border guards as a means of tightening security at crossings, but the Akwesasne Mohawk First Nation, which encompasses Cornwall Island and straddles the Ontario-Quebec-New York state borders, opposed the plan.

The government began phasing in the armed-guard policy in 2007 and plans to arm about 4,800 border officers by 2016.

Border post closed in June

The Mohawk Council of Akwesasne said arming guards at the post on their land would violate their sovereignty and potentially lead to violent incidents.

The crossing closed on June 1 when guards left their posts, citing safety concerns, after hundreds of Mohawks set up camp near the border to protest the gun policy.

It has since been temporarily moved to the north end of the Seaway International Bridge, which lies north of Cornwall Island and the actual Canada-U.S. border.

The report, done six months before the border crossing was closed, recommended the agency "look aggressively at long-term solutions to the Akwesasne issue, including relocation of the CBSA office."

With files from The Canadian Press