Canada resorts to Choper-Vido diplomacy to stop Trump’s tariffs

Canada makes Washington’s efforts at the last minute to persuade US President Donald Trump that he is taking serious measures to improve border security, trying to prevent tariffs.

Top ministers who oversee foreign affairs, immigration and public security are in the US capital to lobby Republicans. Trying to visually show muscles at the border, Canadian officials used video materials of recently purchased Black Hawk helicopters, which are placed in patrols, while the Alberta’s leader invited the Fox New Province to share Montana.

Finance Minister Dominic Leblan sent a video to Howard Lutnik, the choice of Trump for the secretary of trade, which included personnel about the border area to show the absence of people who intersect illegally discussing private conversations.

White House Secretary Caroline Levitt said Trump intends to move forward with plans on Saturday to introduce 25% of tariffs for Mexico and Canada and 10% of China fee, referring to Fentanyl trade as the main cause of this step.

“We are now showing the new US administration that they have a strong partner in Canada when it comes to supporting border security,” said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau journalists on Friday. “Our border is safe and safe, and less than 1% of fentanyl and illegal crossings in the United States come from Canada. We strive to preserve this in this way, solving our current challenges and strengthening our ability. ”

Unlawful fentanyl in the United States is primarily produced abroad and is transferred to the country through Mexico, although some enter through Canada.

Like the US, Canada is experiencing an opioid epidemic that is responsible for tens of thousands of deaths. In fact, countries are the largest consumers of opioids per capita. After the Covid-19 pandemic, Canada observed an increase in the domestic production of fentanyl, which serves both local and international markets, it seems not the main supplier of the United States.

The US authorities seized about 50 kilograms of fentanyl at the Canadian border last year, compared to £ 20,600 at the border of Mexico, according to the US Customs and Border Protection.

The course of the China Government to make fentanyl controlled in 2019, the closure of the border during the skating rink and access to the predecessors necessary for the finished products to facilitate the splash of Canadian production. Illegal groups departed from fentanyl smuggling to tablets from -law to imports and production at the local level.

In 2022, there was a surge in exports of fentanyl from Canada to Australia and New Zealand, as groups of organized crimes tried to get the traction and a drug client in these countries, reports Daniel Anson, CEO for intelligence and investigation at the Canadian Border Agency.

“There was a period of time when we were very concerned about fentanyl exports. Since then, the scheme has subsided. But we need to earn it daily. The templates can change, ”Anon said in an interview.

“I don’t think we have something more serious. This is our priority on law enforcement # 1. “

Compared to herbal preparations, such as cocaine and heroin, fentanyl is relatively easy to make, as many of the necessary chemicals can be purchased at the local level purchased on the Internet or imported from China. Production can be done at low cost and requires only a simple recipe. Underground laboratories can be created in houses in residential areas or in rural cities hidden inside the delivery containers.

“When you have a drug that can be sent in small packages, focusing on the safety of the border, although it may be part of a supply reduction program, it will not be a silver bullet,” said Alexander Kudarella, Chief Executive Director of the Canadian Center for Substances and Dependence. “There is nothing that indicates that fentanyl production in Canada is what feeds on the epidemic in the United States.”

Dogs showing drugs,

In an effort to reassure the Trump administration, the Trudeau government declared $ 1.3 billion ($ 900 million) in December in December, a border plan for improving the security of both drugs and migrants. New Black Hawk helicopters are part of this plan, and additional dogs and visualization tools have been deployed to detect fentanyl.

Canada’s efforts were still “more superficial than significant”, and fentanyl is just a symptom of a much greater problem with transnational groups of organized crimes based in Canada, – said Calvin Cousty, founder of critical risk consultation and former senior officer from the royal Canadian police.

“We have an ecosystem in Canada, which promotes, allows and almost fertilization on these transnational networks of organized crime conducting global enterprises, producing not only synthetic drugs, but also carry out illegal financial measures,” he said in an interview.

According to the Federal Service of the Criminal Intelligence Service of Canada, hundreds of groups of organized crime involved in production or in the shipment of fentanyl are based in the country.

Substantial changes include reforming legal and immigration systems, as well as “a broken security and intelligence apparatus, which is not funded enough,” the stiff said. “If I sat across the border and asked if a few helicopters would have a significant impact, I don’t think.”

-Help Brian Calta.

© 2025 Bloomberg LP