Alberta has introduced plans to create a new force to strengthen security along the Canada-U.S. border.
Premier Daniel Smith announced Thursday that the province will invest $29 million to create an interdiction patrol team under the command of the Alberta Sheriff. The force consists of 51 uniformed officers, 10 support staff including dispatchers and analysts, four drug patrol dogs, 10 surveillance drones capable of operating in cold and windy conditions, and four drug analyzers. configured.
The IPT is established to thwart illegal attempts to cross the border or bring drugs or firearms across the 298-kilometre border with the United States.
Smith said Alberta plans to create a border zone at least two kilometers deep, where sheriffs will arrest people without a warrant if they try to cross the border illegally or traffic in illegal drugs or weapons. He added that he would be able to make arrests. The province said the border zone would be created by amending regulations under Alberta’s Critical Infrastructure Defense Act.
“We will continue to work with federal law enforcement to ensure this area of the U.S. border is secure,” Smith said. “We will not give safe haven to criminals who seek to operate in both countries. If we are successful and maintain adequate border security, we will continue to have a very strong relationship with the United States. You can build it.”
The state’s goal is to have IPT operational by early 2025.
The announcement comes amid threats of significant tariffs on Canadian products by the incoming U.S. administration.
President-elect Donald Trump said on his first day in office that he would impose 25% tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico unless they stop what he called an “invasion” of drugs, especially fentanyl. . Illegal aliens entering the United States
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau held a second virtual meeting with Canadian prime ministers on Wednesday to discuss the country’s relationship with the United States as the country prepares for Trump’s return to the White House.
Smith said Trudeau and other premiers were well aware that Alberta would be announcing its border plan before Thursday. He added that other provinces, including Quebec, Ontario and Manitoba, are also considering sending police officers to areas of their border with the United States.
The flow of migrants and illegal drugs across the northern border is serious; Some of the items coming from MexicoPresident Trump remains concerned about developments from Canada.
Alberta Public Safety and Emergency Services Minister Mike Ellis on Thursday spoke about Alberta’s plans to patrol the border with the federal RCMP and the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) when Alberta met with those groups on Wednesday. He said there was strong agreement.
Ellis added that some of the IPT’s focuses include commercial vehicle inspection stations on major highways and near border entrances. Ellis said the unit will also cover major state highways and known interstate travel routes.
“We will work with our federal and international partners to address this issue, but we will not sit back and wait for a solution to come our way,” Ellis said.
Ellis said most motorists won’t notice any difference in the way they are stopped at border crossings into the United States, and he believes most people will understand Alberta’s new safety measures. added.
“I think most people understand the importance of border security. I think most people understand the concerns about illegal drugs, illegal guns and human trafficking,” Ellis said.
“We hope to work collaboratively with private property owners, but make no mistake, our friends in law enforcement will uphold the law.”
Smith said from an Alberta perspective, he does not support tariffs on Canadian or U.S. products. The result is that everyday life for Canadians and Americans becomes more expensive.
“Instead, we are taking a diplomatic approach,” Smith said Thursday. “We’re talking with our allies in the United States to make sure that Alberta oil and gas is part of the solution to energy affordability, energy security, and generally North American defense security. I am insisting.”
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Alberta Premier Daniel Smith said Canada “cannot survive” a trade war like the United States. Mr. Smith joins Power & Politics from Las Vegas, where he pitches “Team Canada” to governors in the West.
Smith said increasing border security is something the state has been working on since last year. The prime minister’s mandate letter to Mr Ellis in July 2023 included a call for a dedicated sheriff-led team to tackle fentanyl and illegal gun trafficking, including along the Canada-US border.
Looking ahead, he added that he is proposing a summit with Montana Governor Greg Gianforte and the premiers of British Columbia and Saskatchewan.
States step in and assume federal responsibility
Kelly Sandberg, a criminologist at Mount Royal University, said efforts to tighten border security should have been underway by the federal government 10 years ago.
Sandberg, a former CBSA official, said Alberta’s new border strategy is a comprehensive and sensible plan that could serve as a model for other provinces, including Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia.
“It’s reassuring to see that the provincial government is able to some extent address what should be a federal issue and address it quickly. And the plan is solid,” Sandberg told CBC News on Thursday.
To further develop this strategy, Sandberg added that he would like to see the CBSA evolve into a border enforcement agency responsible for all immigration and border security issues.
