Canada’s Border Measures in Response to Trump’s Tariff Threat

Meanwhile, the premiers and federal political parties have also proposed their own solutions. They are also asking the federal government to announce a plan on how the government will alleviate Trump’s concerns to avoid the tariffs.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau travelled to Florida on Nov. 29, where he met with Trump at Mar-a-Lago to discuss border security, cross-border drug trafficking, and trade between the two countries. While the conversations were described as positive by the two leaders, there was no announcement that Trump would cancel his plans to impose tariffs on Canada.

While LeBlanc did not say what specific types of equipment will be purchased for the security agencies, he said it would include technologies for aerial monitoring under different conditions. “We’re not going to bring the shopping list of exactly what models of drones we’re going to buy, or what kind of helicopter, two engines, one engine, what kind of infrared sensors and night vision equipment will be on those helicopters,” he said.

Appearing before a parliamentary committee on Dec. 3, Leblanc didn’t provide a specific human resources plan to boost Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and RCMP presence at the border.

“There will be additional resources, human and equipment, we’ve said that consistently,” Leblanc told MPs, adding that the specific announcement will come before Trump takes office on Jan. 20. “We are finalizing that as a government now, based on the advice that we receive” from the RCMP and CBSA, he said.

Trudeau met with the premiers on Nov. 27, where they discussed ways for Canada to strengthen its relationship with the United States, including through trade and investment, upholding border security, strengthening cross-border supply chains, and supporting Canadian and American manufacturing sectors.

Trump said on Nov. 25 that he would impose tariffs on all goods coming from Canada and Mexico until each country tackled its illegal immigration and drug smuggling issues. Since the United States is Canada’s largest trading partner, with 63 percent of its exports going to the country, the tariffs would be devastating for Canada’s economy.

While drug smuggling and illegal immigration are a much larger issue in Mexico, the number of people crossing from Canada to the United States has been increasing in recent years. Customs and Border Protection said that the border saw nearly 199,000 encounters in fiscal 2024, an increase of over 9,500 from the previous year, compared to over 2.1 million encounters at the U.S. border with Mexico in fiscal 2024.