Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is calling on Ottawa to immediately deliver a promised 'fentanyl czar' to shore-up security at the Canada-U.S. border.
The federal government promised to create the position in response to U.S. tariff threats. President Donald Trump has called on Canada multiple times to shore-up border security or face a 25% tariff on all Canadian goods entering the U.S.
Trump gave Canada a 30-day reprieved as Ottawa promised to hire a fentanyl czar. As of Monday morning, no czar had been appointed — Trump went ahead and imposed a 25% tariff on Canadian steel and aluminum. He may follow through on broader tariffs when the 30-day grace period expires.
Meanwhile, Canada's federal government is in chaos with a suspended parliament. Prime Minster Justin Trudeau, now resigned, is at an AI conference in France.
"It has been a full week since U.S. President Donald Trump and the Canadian government reached a border security agreement that included a 30-day window to demonstrate our nation’s commitment to securing our shared border against fentanyl trafficking and illegal migration," said Smith in a statement posted to social media.
"A key part of this agreement was the promised appointment of a fentanyl Czar to coordinate this effort between Canada’s various federal agencies, the U.S. government, and the provinces. Alberta is perplexed and concerned by the delay in appointing this fentanyl czar and calls on the federal government to do so without further delay."
Smith said enhancing border security will require a lot of work — a federal lead is needed to ensure a good outcome.
"This week, I will be joining my fellow premiers in Washington, D.C., to advocate for a stronger U.S.-Canada trade and security partnership," she said. "It is incumbent upon the Prime Minister to appoint the border czar in the coming days to support the premiers’ and his own ministers’ efforts in this regard."
Trudeau has said the amount of fentanyl coming into the U.S. from Canada is very small, with claims suggesting less than 1% of fentanyl and illegal crossings into the U.S. originate from Canada.
He said the Canada-U.S. border is "safe and secure" but there is "always more work to do."
On February 4 he said, "Through Canada's border plan, we're deploying thousands more frontline personnel to the border, launching a precursor chemical detection unit, and building a new drug profiling centre to combat the fentanyl trade. This drug trade is a global, deadly issue."