The federal authorities appointed former Mountie Kevin Brosseau as Canada’s new “fentanyl czar” on Tuesday — a task created partially to assuage U.S. President Donald Trump’s issues in regards to the northern border and pause a growing commerce battle.
As the federal government’s point-person on the file, Brosseau is being requested to work intently with U.S. counterparts and legislation enforcement companies to “speed up Canada’s ongoing work to detect, disrupt and dismantle the fentanyl commerce,” mentioned a press release from the Prime Minister’s Workplace.
“The scourge of fentanyl have to be wiped from the face of the Earth, its manufacturing have to be shut down and its profiteers have to be punished,” mentioned the assertion.
Brosseau served within the RCMP for over 20 years, together with as deputy commissioner and as commanding officer in Manitoba from 2012-16. He additionally not too long ago served as deputy nationwide safety and intelligence adviser to Trudeau the place, in keeping with PMO, he “navigated Canada’s most delicate safety challenges.”
Educated on the College of Alberta, Brosseau additionally acquired a graduate degree from Harvard in company and Indigenous legislation.
“His demonstrated experience tackling drug trafficking, organized crime networks and different nationwide safety threats will convey great worth to this place,” mentioned the federal government launch.
Public Security Minister David McGuinty mentioned as czar, Brosseau will co-ordinate between companies and work with all ranges of presidency and their American counterparts.
Fentanyl is a strong artificial opioid typically prescribed for ache, however it is usually made illegally. Trump has repeatedly raised the drug coming into the U.S. as justification for tariffs.
Figures from U.S. Customs and Border Safety (CBP) present the company seized 19.5 kilograms of fentanyl on the northern border final yr, in comparison with 9,570 kilograms on the southwestern one.
That hasn’t stopped Trump from demanding Canada take a harder line in opposition to the drug the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention (CDC) mentioned killed greater than 74,000 People in 2023.
“Whereas lower than one per cent of the fentanyl intercepted on the U.S. border comes from Canada, any quantity of fentanyl is an excessive amount of,” mentioned the Canadian authorities in its Tuesday launch.
Place was pitched to Trump on telephone name
The drug has additionally had lethal penalties in Canada. The federal authorities estimates that greater than 49,000 Canadians died attributable to opioid drug overdoses between 2016 and June 2024. Of all unintended obvious opioid toxicity deaths through the first half of 2024, 79 per cent concerned fentanyl.
The place was pitched to Trump earlier this month, hours earlier than he was set to impose 25 per cent tariffs on most Canadian items.
Throughout a high-stakes telephone name, Trudeau advised Trump that Canada is urgent forward with a beforehand introduced $1.3-billion border safety plan that features reinforcing the border with new choppers, expertise and personnel and stepping up its co-ordination with American officers to crack down on Trump’s acknowledged priorities: unlawful medication and migrants.
Trump issued one other government order delaying the broad tariffs till March 4.
The president has since threatened to impose 25 per cent tariffs on all metal and aluminum imports, together with from its largest provider, Canada, efficient March 12.
