Sorry but you are. (except for Mick; we take a dim view of bodhran smuggling). Here is the deal.
You DO NOT CURRENTLY NEED a valid passport (an expired one is useless in any case) to get into Canada, or to return to the U.S. from Canada at this time. You wasted postage there Bruce unless he is staying until Jan 23 2007 then flying back.
The new US Homeland Security regulations are planned to be phased in, but the dates keep changing.
PHASE 1: you--whether American or not--will need a passport to enter the US BY AIR only. This was supposed to be implemented January 8 2007 but was slightly POSTPONED to Jan 23 2007.
PHASE 2: all travellers, air, car, donkey or whatever, will need a passport to enter the US, currently scheduled for Jan 1 2008. It's possible with the new tilt in US government and vigorous lobbying on both sides of the border (all border states and provinces see this plan as a tourism-killer)that this deal may be weakened, postponed or cancelled. One thing for sure: if you do need a passport, apply early, they are overwhelmed with business!
Note that this is strictly a US law, Canada isn't requiring Americans or Canadians to carry passports to visit our country.
From US State Dept website:
The proposed implementation timeline has two phases:
Beginning January 23, 2007, ALL persons, including U.S. citizens, traveling by air between the United States and Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Bermuda will be required to present a valid passport, Air NEXUS card, or U.S. Coast Guard Merchant Mariner Document.
As early as January 1, 2008, ALL persons, including U.S. citizens, traveling between the U.S. and Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Bermuda by land or sea (including ferries), may be required to present a valid passport or other documents as determined by the Department of Homeland Security. While recent legislative changes permit a later deadline, the Departments of State and Homeland Security are working to meet all requirements as soon as possible. Ample advance notice will be provided to enable the public to obtain passports or passport cards for land/sea entries.
The (presumably up-to-date) info from State Dept is at: http://travel.state.gov/travel/cbpmc/cbpmc_2223.html