Canada announces new border rules following Trump tariff threat
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Canada has promised to implement a set of sweeping new security measures along the country's US border, including strengthened surveillance and a joint "strike force" to target transnational organised crime.
The pledge follows a threat from President-elect Donald Trump to impose, when he takes office in January, a 25% tariff on Canadian goods if the country does not secure its shared border to the flow of irregular migrants and illegal drugs.
Economists say such tariffs could strike a blow to Canada's economy.
Announcing details of the plan, Canada's minister of finance and intergovernmental affairs said the federal government would devote C$1.3bn ($900m; £700m) to the plan.
The measures "will secure our border against the flow of illegal drugs and irregular migration while ensuring the free flow of people and goods that are at the core of North America's prosperity", Minister Dominic LeBlanc said on Tuesday.
The five pillars of the plan cover the disruption of the fentanyl trade, new tools for law enforcement, enhanced coordination with US law enforcement, increased information sharing and limiting traffic at the border.
They include a proposed aerial surveillance task force, including helicopters, drones and mobile surveillance towers between ports of entry.
The government is also giving the Canada Border Service Agency funds to train new dog teams to find illegal drugs, and new detection tools for high-risk ports of entry.
And LeBlanc provided further detail on the so-called "joint strike force" for Canadian and US authorities, saying it would include "support in operational surges, dedicated synthetic drug units, expanded combined forces, special enforcement units, binational integrated enforcement teams, and new operational capacity and infrastructure".
The new plan appears to correspond to the concerns publicly disclosed by Trump in recent weeks: the flow of fentanyl and undocumented immigrants into the US.
The number of crossings at the US-Canada border is significantly lower than at the southern border, according to US Border Patrol data on migrant encounters, as is the amount of fentanyl seized.
Mexico is also facing a 25% tariff threat.
LeBlanc said he and other officials had a "preliminary" conversation with Trump's incoming "border tsar" Tom Homan about the new plan.
"I'm in encouraged by that conversation," he said.
LeBlanc was present at a meeting last month between Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Trump at Mar-a-Lago, a trip reportedly meant to head-off the levy.
The announcement comes on LeBlanc's first day as Canada's finance minister.
The longtime ally to Trudeau was hastily sworn in on Monday after the surprise resignation of Chrystia Freeland, who served as both finance minister and deputy prime minister.
Freeland quit her posts with a scathing open letter to Trudeau in which she outlined disagreements she had with him on spending and "the best path forward for Canada".
Her abrupt exit from cabinet has put additional strain on Trudeau's weakened minority government.
On Tuesday, in a speech to party faithful at a Liberal holiday event, a defiant Trudeau said there are "always tough days and big challenges" in politics.
"But this team doesn't hold the record for the longest minority in Canadian history because we shy away from these moments, we put in the work, whether it's easy or hard."
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Remember those 24 hours when so many progressives salivated at all the damage Canada would do to our economy?
Alexa, play sad trombone noise.
No, I don’t what I do remember is comments that if we start.a trade war the Canadians have weapons of their own mainly oil and electricity and that would make it very uncomfortable for us and Canada.
The thing is, Sean that we could not ask for a better neighbor than Canada and our five thousand mile border seems to prove the point. We could have Pakistan and then conservatives would really have something to bitch about.
The measure that are being discussed in this are the same that have been in place on the southern borders for years and they have done nothing to stop the flow of drugs into the US. It’s time that we face the problem of our use of drugs not who is supplying them is the culprit as along as there is a demand the supply will be there, one way or another.
It’s not brain surgery, Sean.
Justin probably won’t be around after then next federal election in 2025, so we’ll see what transpires.
He might not make it to 2025. A non-confidence vote is likely VERY soon and he'll be out on his ass. As I've said more than once, he sure as hell doesn't fit in his father's shoes, and Canadians are starting to realize that.
He will because that loathsome Singh needs his pension to vest before he triggers an election.
Right, which is why it was surprising so many progressives got their undies all in a twist and started fanboying Doug Ford of all people and believing Canada would start a trade war resulting in some economic apocalypse. Sort of like all the Disney is destroying DeSantis and Florida nonsense that was progressives were peddling when DeSantis was their hitler of the day. Whooops!
Canada needs to secure their border. Trump nudged them and now they start the process. It actually gives Trudeau the political cover to do a normal thing over the objection of the loons who set policy. It's a good thing for everyone involved.
Who are these progressives that got their undies all in a twist. I explained my comments and what I saw in other comments which don’t agree with your view. As pointed out a trade war with Canada will result in no winners, you should have learned that when we had to bail out our farms for the tune of $23 billion on Trumps last set of tariffs. Canada does have the ability to make ridiculous (25%) tariff increases to give us as much pain. As stated all of the methods proposed have been and are being used on the southern border and it doesn’t stop the drugs coming into the US there and it won’t on the Canadian border.
This has nothing to do with DeSantis you know it’s international issue not domestic. Keep swinging, you’ve struck out once again.
BTW, Trudeau is one that help set the rules, and when he is pushed out we may get a much tougher PM.
Once again Sean, our appetite for drugs is the problem, they will be there no matter what we do on the borders.