Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc has detailed the government’s new $1.3 billion plan to strengthen the Canada–U.S. border, with the creation of a new North American task force targeting organized crime and synthetic drug trafficking and 24/7 border surveillance.
LeBlanc, who was previously public safety minister and was sworn into his new role on Dec. 16, said the slew of new measures will secure the border against illegal drugs and irregular migration, with an emphasis on stopping fentanyl and its precursors.
Leblanc said the plan is based on five pillars: disrupting the fentanyl trade, giving law enforcement new tools, enhancing operational coordination, increasing information-sharing, and stopping the flow of migrants crossing the border.
The federal government will use artificial intelligence and imaging tools to address the flow of fentanyl and detect illegal drugs. It will put new funding into helicopters, drones, and surveillance towers to provide 24/7 monitoring between ports of entry and complement existing foot and vehicle controls. New canine teams will also be trained to intercept drugs.
The government is proposing the creation of a new North American Joint Strike Force to target transnational organized crime. LeBlanc said the force could include support for operational surges, dedicated synthetic drug units, special enforcement units, and new technical operations capacity.
Health Canada will be given funding to create a risk management unit targeting substances used to manufacture fentanyl with the goal of stopping illegal imports and providing more insight into the substances and their distribution channels. A new Canadian Drug Profiling Centre will also be created to support investigations.
Several additional measures were announced in the Fall Economic Statement 2024, including an expansion of the Canada Border Services Agency’s (CBSA) mandate to allow border officers to inspect exports in addition to imports. Port owners and operators will be required to provide the space and facilities the CBSA needs to conduct export inspections.
Connecting With Financial Sector
A new task force will connect law enforcement with the financial sector to share information about sophisticated money laundering schemes, said the government, and unnecessary border activity will be reduced through a number of measures including the ending of “flagpoling,” when a temporary resident leaves Canada and immediately returns to get immigration services.Leblanc was accompanied at a Dec. 17 press conference by Immigration Minister Marc Miller, International Trade Minister Mary Ng, and Mental Health and Addictions Minister Ya'ara Saks.
Asked if he believes the border measures will be sufficient to stop the United States from putting tariffs on Canada, LeBlanc said they were an “important step” to showing that Canada is taking border concerns seriously. LeBlanc said his conversations with U.S. officials have been encouraging but there is still more work to do.
At a separate news conference, RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme said the RCMP might need to rent helicopters initially to deploy them quickly since the goal is to get the technology in place as soon as possible.
The RCMP will also hire 150 new officers to increase border patrols, Duheme said, but recruitment and training will take time.
