Trump tariffs: Feds announce new border plan amid threats from president-elect

The federal government has outlined a five-pillar approach to strengthening border security, although it does not specify where or how the $1.3 billion in funding provided in the fall economic statement will be allocated.

The announcement comes after United States President-elect Donald Trump threatened to impose 25 percent tariffs on all Canadian imports unless Canada stops the flow of illegal drugs and migrants across the common border.

This is an important step to show Canadians and our American partners that we share their concerns about border security and integrity, said Finance and Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc, who also maintains temporarily the public safety portfolio until Prime Minister Justin Trudeau reshuffles his cabinet when asked. whether he thinks the new measures will be enough to satisfy Trump.

We have noted President (elect) Trump's comments, LeBlanc also said, adding that he has had encouraging conversations with Trump's new team and is optimistic.

However, he would not say whether he has received assurances from the new administration that Canada will be able to escape tariffs, regardless of what the federal government puts on the table.

LeBlanc announced the new border measures Tuesday alongside Immigration Minister Marc Miller, International Trade Minister Mary Ng and Mental Health and Addictions Minister Ya'ara Saks.

In Monday's fall economic statement, the federal government planned a $1.3 billion border security program over six years, with the money distributed to several agencies and organizations, including the Canadian Services Agency Border Patrol (CBSA) and the RCMP, without revealing the details of the plan.

LeBlanc, meanwhile, insisted that plans to strengthen the border had been in the works for months and were not an attempt to appease Trump to avoid tariffs.

The five pillars of the new plan include: detecting and disrupting the fentanyl trade, new tools for law enforcement, improving operational coordination, increasing information sharing and reducing unnecessary volumes at the borders.

As part of these, the federal government is proposing measures such as new AI and imaging tools to help detect illegal drugs and the deployment of new canine teams.

Plans for a new air task force consisting of helicopters, drones and surveillance towers are also outlined, promising 24/7 surveillance between points of entry, as well as expanding the intelligence gathering capacity of certain agencies and measures to combat money laundering.

The federal government also plans to streamline information sharing between Canada and the United States, as well as between different levels of government responsible for law enforcement.

LeBlanc also said there would be additional human resources at the border, with the goal of recruiting about 100 to 150 people between the RCMP and CBSA fairly soon.

The union representing front-line customs and immigration officers at the CBSA is concerned about staff shortages, saying it would need between 2,000 and 3,000 additional officers to do its job effectively.

LeBlanc rejected that claim, saying earlier this month that senior executives who run the CBSA had a different position.

Canada's prime ministers have also spoken out on the issue.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford, who chairs Canada's Council of the Federation, said provincial and territorial leaders are united in their belief that securing the border and increasing defense spending are the two ways to reach an agreement with the United States.

It was very clear that all the prime ministers believed that we should reach our 2% (of GDP on defense spending) with regard to NATO. So we're all in on it, Ford said earlier this month. All of us agree that borders need to be tightened.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, however, introduced a series of border security measures, including $29 million to create a team of specially trained sheriffs to patrol the Alberta-U.S. border. United.

Quebec Premier François Legault, whose provincial border sees the highest number of illegal crossings across the country, spoke with Trump in Paris earlier this month at the reopening of Notre-Dame Cathedral .

Legault later said Trump told him “very clearly that we can avoid these tariffs if we do what needs to be done with the borders.”

The National Police Federation welcomed the news of additional funding in a statement on Tuesday, although the exact details of the plan remain unknown.

The National Police Federation has long advocated for increased funding for the RCMP's federal policing program, which includes border security, and we welcome today's promise of such an investment, writes the president and CEO of the FNP, Brian Sauv, in the press release.

Federal conservatives, meanwhile, say they should have presented a border plan sooner, adding that as Trump prepares to return to the Oval Office in just 40 days, the government has yet to present a plan. Canada first to save Canadian jobs and secure our country. border.

As the House of Commons adjourned for recess on Tuesday, Conservatives are pushing for a parliamentary committee to hold hearings during the recess, seeking testimony from some ministers, border and enforcement officials. law, the Canadian Ambassador to the United States and other officials.

But Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, when asked at a news conference Tuesday how much he would spend on the border, whether more or less than the $1.3 billion allocated by the Liberals, did not not answered.

We shouldn't judge a program by its cost, Poilievre said. You have to judge it by what it can do: how many helicopters, how many drones, how many boots on the ground?

This is the question I will ask myself when I am Prime Minister, he added. And how can we provide it at the lowest possible cost to taxpayers?

Poilievre did not specify what human and material resources he would devote to the border.

With files from Judy Trinh, Rachel Aiello and Stephanie Ha of CTV News

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