OTTAWA — Ottawa is adding 60 drones to monitor the Canada-U.S. border and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) will deploy two new helicopters this week, as Ottawa works to reassure the U.S. president-elect.
Federal ministers and security officials on Wednesday released details of the new border measures, part of the Trudeau government’s efforts to show it is serious about strengthening border protection, just days before the Donald Trump’s inauguration in Washington.
The Liberal government promised $1.3 billion to improve border security in December when the president-elect threatened to impose significant tariffs if Canada and Mexico did not curb “the flow of migrants and illegal drugs.” .
Border concerns, however, have since been mostly replaced by complaints about the trade deficit in Mr. Trump’s most recent threats to impose a 25% tariff on all Canadian imports on his first day in the White House.
At a news conference in Ottawa on Wednesday, federal officials highlighted Canada’s efforts to strengthen border security, downplayed the idea of serious problems and stressed the need to avoid unnecessary drama while remaining focused on results.
As part of the “border plan” unveiled last month, the RCMP will deploy a new “air intelligence task force” made up of helicopters, drones and mobile surveillance towers, which is expected to monitor the border 24 hours a day.
Canada will also propose to the United States the creation of a new “North American joint strike force” to fight transnational organized crime.
Additionally, the Canadian government is providing new technologies, tools and resources to the Canada Border Services Agency to monitor fentanyl shipments, using imaging, artificial intelligence and hand-held chemical analyzers, in addition to new canine teams.
Canadian fentanyl
The federal Minister of Public Safety, David McGuinty, however, took care to emphasize at a press conference on Wednesday that “the northern border represents a very small fraction of the fentanyl seized.”
The government says that between 2018 and 2024, Canadian law enforcement “disrupted and dismantled” 44 laboratories linked to the production of illicit fentanyl.
“Despite evidence of domestic production in Canada, Canadian or U.S. law enforcement has little or no evidence that fentanyl produced in Canada poses a growing threat to the United States,” the statement reads. a briefing note prepared in December for Minister McGuinty.
The government also highlights a reduction in the number of illegal border crossings between Canada and the United States, a crackdown on visa fraud and an increase in returns of asylum seekers rejected by the authorities.
Canada must avoid dramatic comments and remain focused on implementing changes and managing its relations with Washington, said Minister McGuinty.
“Life is about managing relationships, isn’t it? And Canada’s number one relationship, in my opinion, is with the United States, he stressed. We want to make progress and show the newly elected U.S. government that we take our border relationship seriously, that it is integrated, and that we are doing it together.”
Officials also admit that they are preparing for a possible increase in the number of migrants heading to Canada in response to the threat of mass deportations from the new US administration.
“We don’t yet know how quickly the new administration wants to move on this front,” Mr. McGuinty said. We are monitoring the situation closely, we are monitoring the numbers carefully.”
RCMP Deputy Commissioner Bryan Larkin said Wednesday that federal police are working with the Border Services Agency, provinces and territories to ensure rapid action in the event of a crisis at the border.
“So the RCMP is very focused on how to proceed,” he explained. What is our operational planning? How can we move resources and how can we support our colleagues at the Canada Border Services Agency and other police services?”
