The federal government says it will unveil details later today about how it intends to spend $1.3 billion to secure the Canada-U.S. border as it tries to allay president-elect Donald Trump’s concerns.
Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc, who says he’ll continue to hold the portfolio for a few more days after being sworn in as finance minister Monday, told CBC New Brunswick he’ll have more to say Tuesday on “enhancing the border security posture.”
Monday’s fall economic statement, which was largely overshadowed by Chrystia Freeland’s shock resignation from cabinet, included more than a billion dollars for a border security package over six years, but was light on specific details.
The urgency to beef up the border follows Trump’s threat to impose a 25 per cent tariff on all Canadian imports citing concerns about border security, migrants and illegal drugs, especially fentanyl. Tariffs at that level could devastate Canada’s economy.
The fall economic statement signals that the government is willing to spend more on the Canada Border Services Agency, the RCMP, Public Safety Canada and the Communications Security Establishment.
The government has suggested it will be buying helicopters and drones and dedicating more resources to strengthen monitoring of the shared border.
Last week, RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme said he’s hoping to see technology that Mounties can start using immediately.
In a letter addressed to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and posted to social media, Freeland, who has been finance minister since 2020, said the only “honest and viable path” for her was to leave cabinet after the prime minister approached her Friday about moving her to another cabinet role.
At Issue special edition: Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland resigns from cabinet hours before she was to deliver the fall economic statement. Can Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s political career survive the blow, and what comes next from the opposition?
Freeland, who led Canada’s trade team during Trump’s first administration, wrote that she had been at odds with the prime minister about the best path forward for Canada in the face of Trump’s tariff threat.
“We need to take that threat extremely seriously.That means keeping our fiscal powder dry today, so we have the reserves we may need for a coming tariff war,” Freeland wrote,
“That means eschewing costly political gimmicks, which we can ill afford and which make Canadians doubt that we recognize the gravity of the moment.”
Trump entered the conversation late Monday, taking a jab at Freeland on his site Truth Social.
“Her behavior was totally toxic, and not at all conducive to making deals which are good for the very unhappy citizens of Canada. She will not be missed!!!”