Alberta Premier Smith Calls for ‘Border Czar’ Ahead of US Tariff Deadline

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith speaks with reporters before a meeting in Halifax, on July 15, 2024. The Canadian Press/Darren Calabrese

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is urging Ottawa to appoint a “border czar” before Feb. 1, saying it would demonstrate Canada’s commitment to addressing U.S. concerns on border security and help avoid tariffs.

Smith made the comments at an unrelated press conference on Jan. 29, hours after U.S. President Donald Trump’s pick for commerce secretary Howard Lutnick said Canada and Mexico can avoid tariffs by taking action to secure their borders.

“The one thing that we can do this week, in just the next couple of days, to have the best chance to avoid tariffs is to show clear and unequivocal action to secure the border,” Smith said. “This should start with the appointment of a Canadian border czar to work with the new American border czar to jointly crack down hard on fentanyl and illegal migrants.”

Trump has threatened to slap a 25 percent tariff on all goods coming from Canada and Mexico unless both countries address the flow of illegal migrants and drugs into the United States. Trump did not follow through on the threat upon taking office on Jan. 20, as he pledged last November, but suggested tariffs could come on Feb. 1.

Smith said she doesn’t think appointing a border czar will end the tariff threat, but said after having conversations with Trump and U.S. officials she’s convinced securing the border is “the most important first step.”

Smith met with Trump in Florida earlier this month to discuss Canada-U.S. relations, and later met with a number of U.S. officials and industry leaders during a five-day trip to Washington that began on Jan. 18.

Smith said on Jan. 29 the person Ottawa should appoint to secure the border must be “someone who understands military operations, who understands deployment, who understands the seriousness with which we have to take this issue.”

During a meeting with first ministers earlier in the day, Smith suggested Alberta’s deputy minister of executive council, Paul Wynnyk, be considered for the position, but said she didn’t know who Ottawa would have in mind for the role. Wynnyk served more than 38 years in the Canadian Armed Forces.

The federal government last December introduced a $1.3 billion strategy to secure the border against illegal drugs and irregular migration, with an emphasis on stopping fentanyl and its precursors.

Alberta was the first province to launch its own border security plan, pledging $29 million for a new patrol unit involving more than 50 uniformed officers, drones, drug-sniffing dogs, and narcotics analyzers to monitor the southern border. Other provinces like Ontario, Manitoba and Saskatchewan have also taken measures to beef up their borders with the United States.

While some first ministers have favoured retaliation to respond to the U.S. tariff threat, Smith has advocated for diplomacy, arguing the current administration is unlikely to respond favourably to threats.

“I’ve been clear from the beginning that we must take President Trump’s statements on border security seriously and to take action immediately, rather than focusing on inflaming the issue with rhetoric around retaliation,” Smith said on Jan. 29.