In the middle of this crazy week in Ottawa, the Trudeau government found time to table its plan for the border. You know what? The plan isn’t that bad. Moreover, here is $1.3 billion invested in a slightly more strategic way than the sums thrown into the air in the hope of winning over votes.
The plan includes strategic use of technology, whether drones or even artificial intelligence to make maximum use of imagery. We are also investing in human resources: despite all the technological advances, it will take manpower to operate the surveillance of the longest border in the world.
The plan seriously tightens the noose on those who would like to smuggle fentanyl or its components across the border. This killer must be the subject of a fierce fight, for the benefit of our population before even thinking about our neighbors.
Finally, we will increase the fluidity of the flow of information to tighten the screws on both criminal groups and smugglers who facilitate illegal immigration. In this regard, we will need to keep an eye on certain indigenous border territories known as the biggest holes in the sieve.
So much the better if the plan is correct and leads to more rigorous management of the border. But I still have a question that tickles me. The plan comes three weeks after Donald Trump’s tariff threat.
Is it normal that it took threats from the president-elect to destroy our economy to address such an important issue? Is it normal that it took the cries of the grumpy new neighbor for Canada to mind its own business?
However, the Canadian government had not lacked warnings regarding border problems. Does Roxham Road mean anything to you? The fentanyl crisis is raging in Western Canada and increasingly in Ontario and Quebec. Several provincial premiers have been railing against negligence at the border for ages.
We have seen reports on Mexican cartels taking root in Canada. As early as September 11, 2001, the Americans were complaining about the risk of Canada being used as a gateway to the continent.
And yet, it took the Trump shock to push the government to get its act together. The border plan holds up, unfortunately, it has become a victory for Trump rather than an initiative for Canada.
The worst thing is that such a complex policy cannot be prepared in three weeks. This means that the agencies involved (GRC, border services, etc.) already had scenarios in the works. Planning work had been done and all that was missing was the political will to press the “Start” button.
I suppose Trump will remember that Canada is a country that moves under threat. Promising.
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