Canada – United States border | Canada commits to increasing the number of RCMP officers

(Ottawa) Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc said Canada is committed to increasing the number of Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) officers patrolling the U.S. border between ports of entry , although he added that precise details remain to come.

During his appearance before the Commons Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security on Tuesday, Mr. LeBlanc could not provide exact details on the number of “additional boots on the ground” but indicated that these details would be announced in the coming weeks.

“As a government, we have not made these final decisions,” the minister told the committee, in response to questions from Conservative MP Raquel Dancho.

“There will be additional resources. Human and material. We will make procurement and staffing announcements before [le 20 janvier]. »

This date corresponds to the inauguration day of US President-elect Donald Trump, who threatened to impose tariffs of 25% on imports of Canadian and Mexican products if the two countries do not do more to stem the passage illegal people and drugs across borders.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met with opposition leaders Tuesday morning in his office on Parliament Hill to brief them on the government’s plan for the Canada-U.S. border.

Mr. Trudeau’s office confirmed that it was the Prime Minister who extended the invitation to this meeting which lasted nearly an hour.

Justin Trudeau also met with the prime ministers virtually during an emergency meeting on November 27, two days after Donald Trump’s threat, and flew with Dominic LeBlanc to Florida on November 29, where they had dinner with Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre emerged from the meeting to emphasize that he would make the case to all concerned that the tariffs suggested by the US president-elect will make life more expensive for Americans.

Mr. Poilievre said he was asking Mr. Trudeau to fix the “mess” at the border and in the immigration system, as well as to repair the economic damage he says has been caused by the price of carbon and an emissions cap on oil and gas production.

RCMP Commissioner Michael Duheme also appeared before the committee, which reviews the department’s appropriations – although much of the questioning concerned border security.

He told the committee that the RCMP did not have information on where people might attempt to cross the U.S. border, which would allow them to know where and how many additional officers should be deployed.

Conservative MP Raquel Dancho pressed Mr. Duheme about Donald Trump’s threats of tariffs, rather than reacting to influxes of goods entering Canada at particular points on the border.

“They say that’s what’s happening right now. They are worried about people and drugs coming from Canada to the United States,” she said, adding that Mr. Trump’s tariffs would plunge Canada into an economic recession.

The difficulty, according to the RCMP commissioner, is that it is only a crime once the people or drugs actually enter the United States.

“There is a collaboration [avec les douanes et la protection des frontières des États-Unis]. But I think it’s really important to identify these sensitive areas based on the position that the United States will take. »

The RCMP and the Canada Border Services Agency are providing a list of items that could improve their existing capabilities at the border, such as drones or helicopters equipped with infrared sensors and night vision, Minister LeBlanc said Monday .

Not just Canada’s responsibility

Speaking to reporters outside the committee, Michael Duheme clarified that protecting the border is a shared responsibility between the two countries.

“The particular interests we have at the border are the same as those of the Americans,” he said.

“You’ve heard about fentanyl, you’ve heard about guns coming from the south. It is therefore a shared responsibility. »

The flow of illegal firearms is a subject that was raised during Friday evening’s dinner between Donald Trump, Justin Trudeau and Dominic LeBlanc, the latter argued.

“The Prime Minister said, when they talked about their concerns about fentanyl and precursor chemicals and drugs, that we have been concerned for a long time about the smuggling of illegal firearms into Canada,” Mr. LeBlanc told the committee.

“We argued [Donald Trump] that it was something we wanted to do in partnership with them. »

Mr. LeBlanc indicated Monday that his department was considering expanding the mandate of the CBSA to include patrolling between border crossings. Currently, this responsibility falls to the RCMP. Such an approach would, however, require a legislative change, said the minister.

“We’re always looking for good ideas and we’re not rejecting this one, but it’s not a priority for us to get to the conclusion we want,” he said.