National

Public safety minister heads to Washington to discuss efforts to fight fentanyl

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 25 Feb, 2025 11:23 AM

Public Safety Minister David McGuinty is headed to Washington to discuss the latest efforts by Canada and the United States to fight deadly fentanyl.

Joining McGuinty is newly appointed "fentanyl czar" Kevin Brosseau and representatives of the RCMP and Canada Border Services Agency.

The Canadians are slated to meet senators and senior White House officials during the visit, which concludes Friday.

The meetings will unfold against the backdrop of U.S. President Donald Trump's latest threat to impose widespread tariffs against Canadian products.

Trump's executive order to implement 25 per cent tariffs on all imports from Canada, with a 10 per cent levy on energy, was delayed until March 4 after Canada agreed to introduce new border security measures.

While the original order was tied to the southbound flow of fentanyl, the president said earlier this month the pause would allow time to reach a "final economic deal."

U.S. border patrol statistics indicate less than one per cent of fentanyl seized is found at the northern border.

However, Canadian officials have expressed a willingness do more to combat production and sale of the drug.

In a social media post Tuesday, McGuinty said the two countries "must work together" to keep communities safe and to "grow our integrated economies."

Canada recently listed seven transnational criminal organizations as terrorist entities under the Criminal Code to fight fentanyl trafficking.

Prev Next

MORE National ARTICLES

Poilievre's proposed incentives for First Nations water, resource projects draw fire

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says he would incentivize First Nations to support natural-resource projects through industry taxes and revisiting how much sway Indigenous Peoples and environmental considerations have over approving projects. The proposals drew swift criticism from some experts and researchers.

Poilievre's proposed incentives for First Nations water, resource projects draw fire

Indigenous kids in care more likely to experience poor health later in life: report

Indigenous people who were in government care as children experience poorer health and socioeconomic outcomes later in life than those who were never in care, a new Statistics Canada report says. They suffer higher rates of disability, lower self-rated health levels and more homelessness, and are more likely to struggle to meet basic household needs, the report says.

Indigenous kids in care more likely to experience poor health later in life: report

Ex-coroner says B.C.'s drug policy overhaul looks like 'impulsive political decision'

British Columbia's former chief coroner says she's disappointed by the province's overhaul of its program that provides prescription alternatives to toxic street drugs, a shift she says "feels like a really impulsive political decision." Lisa Lapointe said the move to a "witnessed-only" model in which people are supervised while consuming their prescription drugs appeared to ignore scientific evidence.

Ex-coroner says B.C.'s drug policy overhaul looks like 'impulsive political decision'

Internal military report blames botched shooter drill on poor organization

During the drill, which took place on Nov. 12 at a service depot at CFB Longue-Pointe in Montreal, military police also confused a racialized employee with a drill participant playing an active shooter and wrestled him to the ground.

Internal military report blames botched shooter drill on poor organization

70% of Canadians support retaliatory tariffs on United States: poll

Seventy per cent of Canadians are in favour of dollar-for-dollar retaliatory tariffs on the United States, a new poll suggests. Nearly half of respondents to the Leger poll — 45 per cent — said they were strongly in favour of such tariffs, while 25 per cent said they were somewhat in favour.

70% of Canadians support retaliatory tariffs on United States: poll

Police release names of victims in Abbotsford double homicide

Police have released the names of the two victims in an Abbotsford double homicide in January. A statement from the province's Integrated Homicide Investigation Team says police responded to a vehicle fire in Sumas Mountain Regional Park on Jan. 3 and found a 2014 Mitsubishi Outlander engulfed in flames.