‘Stop Making Excuses’: Smith Says Canada Must Take Fentanyl Seriously, Criticizes Comparisons to Mexico

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith speaks in Edmonton on April 10, 2024. The Canadian Press/Jason Franson

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith called for a more serious approach to addressing U.S. concerns over fentanyl trafficking and criticized emphasizing the point that the flow of fentanyl from Canada to the United States is merely a fraction of that from Mexico.

In a Feb. 4 interview with CTV News, Smith said Canada’s recent efforts to address U.S. concerns about the fentanyl trade played a key role in pausing the looming Canada–U.S. trade war. However, she stressed the need to seize the opportunity to make progress, ensuring the battle won’t be reignited.

U.S. President Donald Trump has cited concerns about the flow of deadly drugs, particularly fentanyl, from Canada to the United States as a key reason for imposing tariffs, including 25 percent on most Canadian goods and 10 percent on Canadian energy. Illicit drugs kill “tens of thousands” of Americans each year, with 75,000 deaths per year attributable to fentanyl alone, according to a release from the U.S. embassy in Canada.

“[Trump] wants us to recognize that Canada enjoys a very special relationship with the U.S. that no other country in the world enjoys, and just show the respect of taking seriously the fact that they’ve got people dying and they want it to stop,” Smith said, criticizing the argument that the fentanyl flow from Canada is much less than from Mexico.

“We should stop making excuses, stop saying, ‘Yeah, but we’re not as bad as the other guys.’ We should just say, ‘Yes, we agree, and we’re going to take care of our part of the issue so you don’t have to worry about us anymore,’” she added.

The Prime Minister’s Office said in a January press release that less than 0.2 percent of fentanyl seized by U.S. Customs and Border Protection comes from Canada. Ontario Premier Doug Ford also cited the U.S. data in a recent interview, saying that more illicit drugs and illegal firearms enter the United States from Mexico than from Canada.

Asked why she did not make similar arguments, Smith dismissed them as ineffective. “It’s not helpful to tell the Americans, ‘Well, we’ve only provided you a supply that would kill 9.5 million Americans.’ That’s not a persuasive argument. I think we should stop using it,” she said during the Feb. 4 interview.

Alberta Fentanyl Czar

Before Ottawa reached a truce on tariffs with the United States on Feb. 3, Smith had urged the federal government to appoint a “border czar” to work with the Trump administration in cracking down on the flow of drugs and illegal migration at the border.

As one of the conditions for Trump to pause the tariffs, the federal government on Feb. 3 committed to appointing a “fentanyl czar.” The role involves coordinating between law enforcement and government agencies on both sides of the border to tackle fentanyl trafficking.

In a Feb. 5 social media post, the Alberta premier highlighted the ongoing fentanyl crisis in her province and announced the immediate appointment of a provincial “fentanyl czar” as well.

“As a province, in addition to the border security measures already taken, I have instructed my government to take immediate steps to significantly increase police and prosecutorial resources to go after the Fentanyl labs, kingpins and dealers that are responsible for killing 49,000 Canadians since 2016,” Smith wrote.

Smith said Alberta will continue to focus on a recovery-oriented approach to addiction, including moving forward with the proposed compassionate intervention legislation and the construction of mandatory treatment facilities in both Edmonton and Calgary.

Canada had planned retaliatory tariff against the United States if Trump followed through with his tariff threats, with the first-phase countermeasure set to come into effect on the same day as the U.S. tariffs, Feb. 4.

Trump had threatened a 25 percent tariff on Mexico due to similar border security concerns, which was also paused for one month after he reached an agreement with President Claudia Sheinbaum on Feb. 3. As part of the deal, Mexico has pledged to take measures against illicit fentanyl trafficking, including deploying 10,000 members of its National Guard to the U.S.–Mexico border to curb drug trade.

Meanwhile, an additional 10 percent tariff ordered by Trump on existing tariffs targeting all goods imported from China went into effect on Feb. 4, with Beijing responding with counter-tariffs the same day.