Humiliated Justin Trudeau frantically copies Trump as he tries to avoid being booted from office
Liberal Justin Trudeau has suddenly launched a Trump-style immigration crackdown as the Canadian government crumbles around him.
Canada’s newly appointed Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc announced Tuesday that the $1.3 billion CAD ($930 million USD) series of new measures will “secure our border against the flow of illegal drugs and irregular migration.”
The new measures include 24/7 surveillance of the border using ‘helicopters, drones and mobile surveillance towers’, and improved detection tools to track drugs slipping across the border.
The legislation is based on five pillars: slowing fentanyl trafficking, improving border patrol coordination, providing new tools for law enforcement, facilitating information sharing between departments and slowing migrant crossings, reports TNC.
Trudeau was previously known for his progressive policies, urging migrants to flood into Canada, but has changed his tune in recent weeks as polls plummet.
It comes weeks after Trump threatened to impose a 25 percent tariff on all imports from Canada, citing Trudeau’s struggle to ensure border security.
The five pillars appear to attempt to directly address the president-elect’s concerns, as Trump has cited high illegal migration at the border and the flow of fentanyl as particular concerns.
In his press conference Tuesday announcing the “strike force,” Leblanc said the actions are intended to “detect and target fentanyl and its precursors.”
“Our investments will enable the Canada Border Service Agency to deploy new chemical detection, imaging and artificial intelligence-powered tools, as well as new K-9 teams to better detect illicit drugs at ports of entry,” he said.
Justin Trudeau’s government introduced a $1.3 billion border security bill on Tuesday in a desperate bid to combat Donald Trump’s tariff threat
Trump threatened Canada and Mexico with a 25 percent tariff if they did not curb illegal immigration and the flow of drugs across the borders into the US
The move comes days after rumors swirled that Trudeau would resign as his Liberal government collapsed around him, including LeBlanc’s predecessor Chrystia Freeland, who was also deputy prime minister, leaving the party.
Freeland resigned on Monday after clashing with Trudeau over issues including how to deal with possible US tariffs, in a major blow to an already unpopular government.
Trudeau also made a public visit to Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate earlier this month, which only exacerbated the crisis as Trump mocked his counterpart and suggested he would turn Canada into a US state.
With Trudeau currently on track to lose the next election to the Conservatives and their leader Pierre Poilievre, his party tried to move forward with their border bill this week.
LeBlanc said the wave of measures would include investments in the RCMP’s “new aerial intelligence task force.”
The task force will “monitor ports of entry 24 hours a day and supplement existing foot and vehicle patrols,” including the use of helicopters and drones.
Lawmakers also plan to expand the powers of border guards, allowing them to inspect exports in the same way they inspect imports.
Hoping to open communications with Americans south of their border, the Canadian official said he was “proposing the creation of a new North American joint strike force to tackle transnational organized crime.”
Newly appointed Treasury Secretary Dominic LeBlanc announced Tuesday that the series of new measures will “secure our border against the flow of illegal drugs and irregular migration.”
It comes after Trudeau also made a public trip to Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate earlier this month, which only exacerbated the crisis as Trump mocked his counterpart and suggested he would turn Canada into a US state.
Canada has seen a 130 percent spike in asylum seekers this year, prompting the Trudeau government to finally take action
LeBlanc’s comments were followed by Immigration Minister Marc Miller’s proposal to end “flag-waving,” a practice in which people briefly enter the U.S. from Canada to take advantage of lax immigration laws.
The practice causes people to enter the US without planning to spend any time there, only to access faster visa processing times than if they entered Canada directly.
“Flag poles consume valuable resources on both sides of the border,” Miller said Tuesday.
“When this change comes into effect, temporary residents already in Canada will have to apply online to extend their stay and flagpoling will no longer be an option.”
TNC reported that lawmakers struggled to provide a timeline for when the new measures would be implemented.
And when asked how many helicopters would be available, RCMP Commissioner Michael Duheme said, “I can’t just buy a helicopter, but there are processes where you can rent a helicopter and we’re looking into every facet that we can.”