Fact Check: A look at White House claims about Canada's fentanyl fight 'failure'

The United States made good on its promise to slap hefty tariffs on Canada Friday as the countries failed to reach a trade deal by U.S. President Donald Trump's deadline.

A fact sheet from the White House said Canada's "failure" to address the opioid crisis was part of the reason for going ahead with the 35 per cent tariffs on certain goods from Canada.

Here's a look at some of the claims made in the White House announcement, as well as the facts behind them:

CANADA'S DRUG ENFORCEMENT 'FAILURE'

"Given Canada’s continued failure to arrest traffickers, seize illicit drugs, or co-ordinate with U.S. law enforcement … further presidential action is necessary and appropriate to protect American lives and the national security and foreign policy of the United States," the White House fact sheet states.

THE FACTS

In December, after the newly elected Trump began to press Canada about the flow of fentanyl into the United States, Canada pledged to invest $1.3 billion to bolster security at the border and strengthen the immigration system. A fentanyl czar, Kevin Brosseau, was appointed in February to co-ordinate the response.

Since then, the federal government says it has invested heavily in fighting illicit drug production and trafficking, including another $200 million to target organized crime, enhanced border surveillance and staffing, 15 surveillance towers and other detection tools added to ports of entry.

Canada has also deployed at the border new drones, four Black Hawk helicopters and a specialized plane for aerial surveillance, which collectively utilize infrared, heat-seeking and other advanced detection capabilities. The Canadian government says it's teaming up with the United States through a variety of joint efforts.

"Canada and the U.S. count on each other to share information, identify and protect against threats," the Canada Border Services Agency told The Canadian Press in a statement. "The CBSA and (U.S. Customs and Border Protection) each have officers embedded in our respective targeting centres and regularly share intelligence as well as several dedicated liaison officers working out of Canada’s embassy in Washington, D.C."

The agency also pointed to its investigation in February and March, Operation Blizzard, which led to more than 2,600 seizures of suspected narcotics and precursors across the country transported through postal shipments, air cargo and shipping containers. The seizures included 1.73 kilograms of fentanyl, of which 1.44 kilograms were headed to the United States.

Of the total drug seizures, the agency said, just 17.5 per cent was destined for the United States while 67.5 per cent had entered from south of the border.

From Jan. 1 to April 30 this year, the agency said it seized 2.14 kilograms of fentanyl headed for the United States and 28 grams headed from the United States into Canada. Canadian law enforcement has shut down 47 fentanyl labs since 2018, data from Brosseau's office shows.

SEIZURES AT NORTHERN BORDER

The fact sheet says fentanyl seizures at the northern border this fiscal year "have surpassed total seizures of the past three years combined."

THE FACTS

U.S. Customs and Border Protection data shows 33.6 kilograms, of fentanyl has been seized at the northern border so far in fiscal year 2025, which ends Sept. 30.

That is indeed more than the combined 26.8 kilograms seized in the 2022, 2023 and 2024 fiscal years, but it pales in comparison with the amount of fentanyl seized at the border with Mexico. The same data shows around 3,992 kilograms of fentanyl has been seized at the southwestern border of the United States so far this fiscal year.

The amount of fentanyl seized coming into the United States through the northern border is 0.8 per cent of the total amount of fentanyl seized by border enforcement this fiscal year.

DRUG POTENCY

The White House claimed the amount of fentanyl seized at the Canadian border in the 2025 fiscal year "could have killed more than 16 million Americans due to the drug’s potency."

THE FACTS

The United States Drug Enforcement Administration estimates that around two milligrams of fentanyl could be lethal. By that measure, the 33 kilograms seized at the Canadian border potentially could kill 16 million people. However, the actual number of opioid overdose deaths in the United States is measured in the thousands, not millions.

Provisional data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows synthetic opioid deaths in the United States are trending downward, with 46,651 deaths recorded over the 12 months ending January 2025, compared with 72,718 in the previous 12-month period.

Picture Courtesy: THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Evan Vucci