Gregory Wigmore tends to focus on the narrative of how, although the British Empire legally outlawed slavery or was on the verge of banning it, Canadian judges were generally hesitant and ignorant that they were supposed to stop the creation of new slaves and curb the sale of slaves in general. A strong message that can be felt throughout his writings is that before Canada received a reputation for being a safe haven for slaves, it often failed to protect escaped slaves from America as well as blacks freed from their former masters or from being forcibly returned to slavery again. He suggests that due to the fact that both America and Canada had ideologically opposing interpretations of property laws, border sovereignty, and mutual duties; that new legislature created by one of the nations influenced the other to take a step further. This rush to catch up ultimately weakened the slave system in Canada to the point that many slaves fled to America for a chance at free life; as America felt no obligation to return slaves or military deserters to Canadian officials. This was a two-way street however, as America adopted this attitude towards escape