Tone on Border Has Changed, Bloc Leader Says After Trudeau Meeting

Bloc Quebecois Leader Yves-Francois Blanchet speaks with reporters before question period, in Ottawa, on Oct. 22, 2024. The Canadian Press/Adrian Wyld

Ottawa has “completely” changed its approach to the border, says Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet  following a meeting with the prime minister and other party leaders.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met with the different party leaders in Ottawa Dec. 3, as he seeks to build a “Team Canada” approach to deal with the incoming U.S. administration’s tariff threat.

“The government is speaking about rigour in border management which is completely the opposite of what we heard over the years when it was literally an open bar,” Blanchet said in French after the meeting.

Blanchet has been critical of how Ottawa has handled immigration and border issues in recent years, with Quebec becoming a key route for illegal crossings and asylum claims made at the Montreal-Trudeau airport.

The Bloc leader said the federal government is now talking about the border in a “responsible” way and is preparing a plan to match this new discourse. Blanchet said opposition leaders were not presented with the plan, but parts of it will include what the Bloc has been requesting for some time, such as more resources both on the ground at the border as well as at immigration offices to process asylum claims.

Blanchet described the talks with Trudeau and other party leaders as “very rational” and “constructive.” He also said he would refrain from publicly criticizing the government on the border, since “Americans are looking at us now.”

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump said on Nov. 25 he would impose a 25 percent tariff on goods coming from Canada and Mexico if the countries don’t address illegal migration and drug smuggling at their borders.

Cabinet ministers have asked that provincial premiers and opposition leaders present a united front as they seek to deal with Trump’s tariff threat.

“One of the things that we spoke about with premiers and also with opposition leaders is that it is of paramount importance for all leaders across Canada to be taking a Team Canada approach,” Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said on Dec. 3. Freeland also said it was important to avoid negotiating “against ourselves.”

Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre criticized Trudeau following his meeting with party leaders.

“We demand that the prime minister fix the disorder that he’s caused at the border, fix the immigration problems that he has caused, but he also has to reverse the job-crushing tax increases that he’s imposing right now,” he said at a media scrum on Dec. 3.

Poilievre said the Trump tariffs would do damage to the Canadian economy which is already weakened by federal taxes. He also remarked the tariffs will “make America poorer” because they will raise the price of energy. Most U.S. oil imports come from Canada.

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said Trump’s threat has to be taken seriously with an “all hands on deck” approach. “That was impressed upon the prime minister,” he said.

Singh suggested immediately hiring 1,100 new border services agents. He said this is not just to prevent the imposition of tariffs but also to stem the flow of handguns from the U.S. that are often used to commit crimes on Canadian streets.

The NDP leader also suggested, as Poilievre did over the weekend, that the Canada Border Services Agency’s mandate should be expanded to cover the border outside ports of entry. Currently the RCMP has that responsibility.

Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc told a House of Commons committee Dec. 3 the idea has been discussed internally but no decisions have been made.

LeBlanc also said Ottawa is “interested in taking immediate steps that will reassure Canadians and the Americans that the border remains secure and the integrity of the border is protected.”