Amid a possible tariff risk that’s one month away, U.S. president-elect Donald Trump’s border czar Tom Homan is asking talks with Canada over border safety “constructive” however says he’s nonetheless ready to listen to particulars.
“The dialog I’ve in Canada, I could not ask for a greater dialog,” Homan stated in an unique interview with CTV’s Energy Play host Vassy Kapelos on Thursday. “After all, actions should comply with, however I am very optimistic from the dialog I had that we’ll provide you with a very good border safety plan.”
Final month, Trump threatened to impose a 25 per cent tariff on all Canadian imports on his first day in workplace, till Canada addresses the move of unlawful medicine and migrants over the shared border. Trump made the identical risk to Mexico.
Whereas the federal authorities says plans had been already underway to spice up border safety previous to Trump’s warning, Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc offered a $1.3-billion border safety bundle on Tuesday. The plan features a new aerial process drive for surveillance between ports of entry and extra human sources, with the aim of recruiting about 100-150 individuals between the RCMP and Canada Border Companies Company quickly.
Chatting with Kapelos, Homan stated he might be assembly with Canadian officers “within the subsequent few days to speak about specifics.”
On Thursday, LeBlanc additionally acknowledged he might be assembly with Homan after Christmas however stated he had a “very constructive preliminary name” with him earlier this week.
Requested straight by Kapelos whether or not Canada can keep away from tariffs if its border plan satisfies Trump’s issues, Homan stated, “I am unable to communicate for the president, however I can inform you that his primary concern is border safety.”
“If Canada can come and be a very good associate with us, I believe it will go an extended methods with President Trump,” Homan added.
Homan additionally stated he might be updating Trump “lots” on his conferences with Canada, saying “he’ll be effectively knowledgeable.”
Border czar says ‘Canada’s immigration legal guidelines are too lax’
In his conversations with Canadian officers, Homan stated he additionally expressed his concern about cross-border crime in Canada.
“I believe Canada’s immigration legal guidelines are too lax. It is fairly simple to get into Canada,” Homan stated to Kapelos. “Not numerous screening is finished, not in comparison with the US.”
“We’re definitely involved in regards to the variety of aliens coming throughout the northern border, coming into (the) United States from particular curiosity nations like India, Pakistan, Turkiye and such,” Homan stated. “Border numbers on our northern border (are) up 600 per cent from the earlier administration.”
Homan made comparable feedback in an interview with 7News final month, wherein he referred to as the border with Canada a “enormous nationwide safety challenge.”
In keeping with U.S. Customs and Border Safety (CBP), almost 24,000 encounters with migrants had been recorded between posts on the Canada-U.S. border between October 2023 and September 2024, which is a big surge in comparison with 916 encounters throughout that very same interval in 2021.
However CBP has informed Ontario Chronicle that expanded enforcement efforts to answer “altering migration tendencies” has lowered encounters on the northern border between official ports of entry by greater than 64 per cent between June and October of this yr.
Regardless of the uptick of migrants crossing into the U.S. from Canada in recent times, the quantity is effectively beneath the 1.5 million that entered the U.S. from Mexico between October 2023 and September 2024.
The CBP says it has additionally seized 43 lbs of fentanyl on the Canada-U.S. border prior to now yr in comparison with 21,148 lbs at its southern border with Mexico.
Requested in regards to the distinction in numbers between Canada and Mexico, Homan acknowledged that “the southern border has been the largest challenge due to sheer quantity” however reiterated his safety issues about Canada’s border with the U.S.
“After 9/11, there have been research achieved by the federal authorities saying it is 10 instances extra doubtless for a terrorist to cross the northern border than the southern border, simply because only a few border property (are) up there, only a few brokers,” Homan stated.
However Homan says Canada has been “leaning ahead” to deal with Trump’s issues in comparison with Mexico, calling Canadian officers a “prepared associate.”
“(Canada is) leaning ahead on this, which is grateful,” Homan stated. “Mexico, they’re saying a couple of issues that I like however they don’t seem to be coming with what we expect we want but, so there’s some extra work to be achieved.”
With information from Ontario Chronicle’ Samantha Pope, Rachel Aiello and Spencer Van Dyk
