Ottawa appoints fentanyl czar to aid in border security, stave off US tariffs

The Canadian government announced the appointment of former RCMP officer Kevin Brosseau as the country's new "fentanyl czar" on Tuesday, a position created in response to US President Donald Trump's concerns about drug trafficking along the northern border.

Brosseau will collaborate with US officials and law enforcement agencies to "accelerate Canada's ongoing work to detect, disrupt and dismantle the fentanyl trade," according to a statement from the Prime Minister's Office. "The scourge of fentanyl must be wiped from the face of the Earth, its production must be shut down and its profiteers must be punished," the statement says.

Brosseau brings two decades of experience with the RCMP, previously serving as deputy commissioner and as Manitoba's commanding officer from 2012 to 2016. He also held the role of deputy national security and intelligence adviser to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, where he "navigated Canada's most sensitive security challenges," the PMO says. His background in tackling organized crime, drug trafficking, and national security threats makes him well-suited for the position, the government said in its announcement.

Public Safety Minister David McGuinty said that Brosseau will play a "key role" in coordinating efforts between agencies and working with all levels of government, as well as American counterparts.

Fentanyl smuggling at the northern border is significantly lower compared to the U.S.-Mexico border, but Canadian officials acknowledged the problem still must be addressed. US Customs and Border Protection reported seizing 19.5 kilograms of fentanyl at the northern border last year, compared to 9,570 kilograms at the southwestern border. "While less than one per cent of the fentanyl intercepted at the U.S. border comes from Canada, any amount of fentanyl is too much," the Canadian government stated in its release.

Brosseau's appointment comes as the tariffs threatened by President Donald Trump against Canada which were set to take effect at the beginning of February have been paused for 30 days, with Trudeau saying that Canada would implement a $1.3 billion border security plan. Canada would have been hit with a $25 percent tariff under an executive order signed by Trump, with the US leader citing illegal immigration and fentanyl trafficking among the reasons for the tariff.