WATCH: Carney finally admits fentanyl a 'crisis' in Canada

Mark Carney has finally admitted that Canada has a fentanyl crisis.

The prime minister previously referred to the deadly drug's presence in the counrty as a "challenge."

When asked during a press conference in Iqaluit on Tuesday whether he shared the view that Donald Trump wanted to economically destroy and then annex Canada, Carney said he viewed things slightly differently.

"He wants to end the fentanyl crisis in the United States; I respect that," the prime minister replied. "He wants good, high-paying jobs in America, he wants more investment in America, he wants repatriation of many American industries and firms ... and I fully respect that."

Carney went on to outline his own objectives, which included "end[ing] the fentanyl crisis in Canada," creating good high-paying jobs for Canadians, and protecting our sovereignty.

"Fentanyl is an absolute crisis in the United States," Carney said during a tour stop in Kelowna in February. "It's a challenge here, but it's a crisis there, and us doing what we can to help them with that is absolutely appropriate."

Many were quick to call him out over his claim that fentanyl in Canada is merely a "challenge," not a "crisis," given that opioids have claimed the lives of nearly 50,000 Canadians since 2015, with fentanyl a leading culprit.

"Our once-safe towns and cities have been overwhelmed with drugs, death and disorder," the Conservatives lamented. "Police continue to discover 'suberlabs,' capable of making enough fentanyl to kill every Canadian twice over. But according to Mark Carney, this 200 percent increase in annual opioid overdose deaths is not a crisis."