Commentary
It took the threat of U.S. tariffs for Canada to wake up to the true horrors of the fentanyl epidemic that is now destroying so many young lives and shattering families. Canadians, who were in a panic about the deaths that occurred during the COVID pandemic, have hardly noticed that far more otherwise healthy Canadians and Americans are dying from fentanyl overdoses than ever died from COVID.
A grim milestone was reached when opioid overdose deaths exceeded 100,000 per year in the United States in 2021. Well over a million Americans have died from opioid overdoses since the highly addictive drugs first came on the market. Fentanyl overdose is now the leading cause of death in Americans aged 18–25.
Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid so powerful that one kilogram can kill 500,000 people. The fact that the drug is so concentrated makes it both particularly dangerous and easy to smuggle. A backpack thrown across the border can contain $1,000,000 worth of the drug. It is easy to see why so many opportunists are willing to risk their lives making and selling it. Official overdose statistics also say nothing about the bodies in the desert or others murdered because they foolishly decided to take their chances working in the vicious drug trade.
Fentanyl is easily produced for a few cents per pill. Although it is sold on the street for many times that, it is still a cheap high. It is also incredibly addictive, and it is found in virtually all of the “street drugs” that addicts seek out because it gives “the most bang for the buck.” The fact that those street drugs are often made by amateurs often means that they are carelessly made and contain lethal doses. Because pills look the same, there is no way of knowing whether a certain pill will make you high or kill you.
Canada is not a main supplier of fentanyl to America, but it is a fact that significant amounts of the drug flow south by means of the “de minimus” exemption, which allows exporters to ship small packages valued at less than $800 directly to customers, with minimal border inspection required. This loophole is being used by Chinese exporters to ship fentanyl precursors into Canada, where they either go to Mexico for processing into pills or are processed in Canada under the supervision of Mexican drug cartels. The Trump administration has now pressed Canada to close this loophole. The fact that this has been going on in Canada for years, almost unnoticed, should shock us to the core.
And the problem of fentanyl production in Canada should not be minimized. Recently, RCMP has reported that fentanyl labs have been popping up in various parts of B.C. It is common to produce fentanyl and meth in the same small labs. These drugs are sold both domestically and internationally. The problem is real.
Exactly how many Canadians have died, directly or indirectly, from fentanyl overdoses is unclear, but it is fair to assume that with roughly one-ninth of the U.S. population, Canadian deaths would be roughly one-ninth of U.S. numbers.
However, overdose numbers alone don’t tell the whole story. The number of lives wrecked by this drug is staggering. Parents watch their beautiful, healthy children fall into addiction and come apart before their very eyes. Young people who once played on the school volleyball team, participated in the debating club, and went to hockey games with their Dads, are sucked into a real-life horror show. Their beauty disappears, their mental acuity fades, and as drug psychosis takes hold, they turn into shadows of their former selves, who are just existing until they get their next fix. While some escape from that hell, many never do. Until death takes them, that is.
The new Trump administration has promised to do something about this carnage. “This is a drug war,” Peter Navarro, assistant to the president and director of the Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy, recently told reporters. “What has happened with Canada is the Mexican cartels have expanded up to Canada. They’re making fentanyl there and sending it down to the U.S. from there. The Chinese are using Canada to send in small parcels below the radar. ... It’s important that Canada, Canadian citizens themselves, can understand that what we’re trying to do here is stop killing of Americans by these deadly drugs.”
The Trump administration must also view what it sees as Canada’s lax drug laws and casual attitude to the buying and selling of even the most addictive and dangerous drugs as an exacerbating factor. However, on the fentanyl issue, it is clear that Trump is determined to do something about a very real problem that has largely been ignored in Canada. He should be commended for this, and Canada should start cleaning up its own mess.
But U.S. concerns about fentanyl smuggling from Canada is also part of a larger issue. Communist China’s infiltration of Canadian institutions is a major concern. The importation of fentanyl precursors from China, with the participation of Mexican drug cartels, has made Vancouver a virtual money laundering factory for the Chinese Communist Party. Investigative reporters like Sam Cooper and Terry Glavin have revealed how deep this corruption goes, the Hogue Commission whitewash notwithstanding.
It is to be hoped that the border fixes and the “fentanyl czar” Trudeau has promised to appoint will shine a light not only on fentanyl and border security but on how seriously Canada is being compromised at all levels by a hostile CCP that means us no good.
Taking on the fentanyl problem is an extremely difficult task. In fact, it is probably an impossible task if China, Mexico, and smaller players like Canada refuse to cooperate. And forcing cooperation is probably the first part of Trump’s plan.
Canada is minor player in a much larger fight. Panama, Greenland, Canada? This is all related to a life and death struggle that is going on behind the scenes. America’s big battle—even after the Russia and Iran problems are somehow addressed—is with communist China.
Canada has a very limited role in any of those upcoming battles and must actively work on border security and the fentanyl problem. Trump has forced us to do that. And if we are serious about restoring the integrity of this nation, we must reverse the CCP’s corruption of our institutions.
In the process, we can save Canadian lives.
