Canada’s new Fentanyl Czar will ‘absolutely’ be appointed within 30 days, says public safety minister

3 days ago 3

The terms of reference for appointing Canada's first "Fentanyl Czar" will be finalized by the end of the week, Public Safety Minister David McGuinty said Thursday, who also committed the government to "absolutely" fill it by the time the country's reaches the end of the 30-day reprieve period from U.S. tariffs.

Published Feb 06, 2025  •  4 minute read

OTTAWA—The terms of reference for appointing Canada’s first “Fentanyl Czar” will be finalized by the end of the week, Public Safety Minister David McGuinty said Thursday, who also committed the government to “absolutely” fill it by the time the country’s reaches the end of the 30-day reprieve period from U.S. tariffs. 

“We intend to be way more proactive than that,” McGuinty told reporters during his first official media availability in Ottawa, since Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and American President Donald Trump reached a deal Monday, pushing back the possibility of a trade war until early March.

Advertisement 2

National Post

THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS

Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.

  • Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.
  • Unlimited online access to National Post and 15 news sites with one account.
  • National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.
  • Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.
  • Support local journalism.

SUBSCRIBE FOR MORE ARTICLES

Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.

  • Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.
  • Unlimited online access to National Post and 15 news sites with one account.
  • National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.
  • Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.
  • Support local journalism.

REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES

Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.

  • Access articles from across Canada with one account.
  • Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.
  • Enjoy additional articles per month.
  • Get email updates from your favourite authors.

THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK.

Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.

  • Access articles from across Canada with one account
  • Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments
  • Enjoy additional articles per month
  • Get email updates from your favourite authors

Article content

“We’re moving forward now.”

Appointing a so-called Fentanyl Czar was one of the promises Trudeau made following a second phone call with Trump, who over the weekend signed an order to impose 25 per cent tariffs on imports from Mexico and Canada, with only a 10 per cent levy on Canadian energy resources.

A North American trade war was ultimately averted after Trump spoke separately with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and Trudeau, each of whom announced specific measures they would undertake to address his border security concerns,

Canadian officials have consistently said less than one per cent of the migrants and fentanyl entering the U.S. comes from Canada.

Trudeau promised that, in addition to implementing the first stages of a six-year $1.3-billion border plan, it would listed cartels as terrorist entities, launch a Canada-U.S. “joint strike force” to target organized crime and fentanyl as well as appoint a Fentanyl Czar.

McGuinty has characterized the role as liaising between Canadian and U.S. government to better combat the flow of fentanyl, as well as work across different department from Health Canada to Global Affairs Canada to improve collaboration.

By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.

Article content

Advertisement 3

Article content

“The Fentanyl Czar will be to help us integrate what is a whole of society challenge,” he said. “Fentanyl is a foreign affairs issue, it’s  law enforcement issue, it’s an intelligence issue, it’s a public health issue, it’s a tracing issue, in terms of the ingredients that end up being used in the production of fentanyl.”

The minister said fentanyl is a complicated issue. While he said Canada is taking the U.S.’s concerns seriously, he has also pointed out the deadly drug has unleashed a crisis in Canada, adding he is not afraid of reminding the Americans the country has challenges with the volume of drugs flowing south to north.

Trudeau has promised to have “24/7” eyes on the border, with nearly 10,000 frontline personnel. That figure not only includes the nearly 8,500 Canada Border Services Agency staff, but RCMP officers and other members of provincial and local police forces sent by different provinces to assist.

National Defence Minister Bill Blair’s has said there are no plans to send the military to the border, but clarified the Canadian Armed Forces has been asked to provide the RCMP with logistics support. Blair’s office says it recently transferred 50 drones to the Mounties and has plans to send 20 more.

Advertisement 4

Article content

The RCMP has also leased two Black Hawk helicopters to boost its surveillance along the border.

McGuinty on Thursday criticized the plan released by Opposition Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, that says he would “call up Canadian Forces to the troops to the border along military helicopters and surveillance now.”

Earlier in the week, Poilievre pointed to previous comments made by Chief of Defence Staff General Jennie Carignan, who said the military stands ready to support the RCMP and border services by way of offering equipment such as helicopters, but there is no plan to “militarize” the Canada-U.S. border.

McGuinty told reporters Poilievre’s comments about sending troops amount to him suggesting “that the entire Canadian border should be militarized,” saying the Conservative leader “has some explaining to do.”

“This is an important moment, because we have jobs at stake,” the minister said.

Conservative MP James Bezan, who serves as the party’s critic in Parliament on defence matters, said in a statement that Carignan’s offer to patrol the border using helicopters and surveillance “would involve the deployment of Canadian Forces personnel to support the RCMP and (Canada Border Services Agency) in border security operations.”

Advertisement 5

Article content

“The men and women of the Canadian Armed Forces sign up to protect Canada and that is exactly what they would be doing in supporting efforts to secure out national border,” he said.

“When resources at the border are already stretched thin, additional supports should be welcomed. It is foolish and irresponsible for the Liberal government to reject this offer of help from the Canadian Forces and demonstrates that they aren’t serious in taking the action necessary to stop the smuggling of guns, drugs and people, as well as other criminal activity, at our border.”

-30-

National Post

staylor@postmedia.com

Get more deep-dive National Post political coverage and analysis in your inbox with the Political Hack newsletter, where Ottawa bureau chief Stuart Thomson and political analyst Tasha Kheiriddin get at what’s really going on behind the scenes on Parliament Hill every Wednesday and Friday, exclusively for subscribers. Sign up here.

Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark nationalpost.com and sign up for our politics newsletter, First Reading, here.

Article content

*** This article was automatically compiled by an RSS API program and was not created or edited by MSGN.

(Note: This is an unedited article auto-generated from Syndicated News Rss Api. The content may not have been modified or edited by MSGN staff.

Please visit the Source Website that deserves the credit and responsibility for creating this content.)

Watch Live | Source Article