First Ministers Urge Ottawa to Appoint ‘Fentanyl Czar’ Without Delay
The premiers of Ontario and Alberta are urging Ottawa to swiftly appoint a “fentanyl czar,” a key condition of the 30-day tariff reprieve granted by the United States.
“Americans and the Trump administration are saying, secure our border. My question again to Prime Minister Trudeau, where is the fentanyl czar?” Ontario Premier Doug Ford said during a Feb. 8 press conference in Niagara-on-the-Lake.
Ford noted that five days have passed since Canada and the United States reached a temporary truce on Feb. 3. “Time is running out,” he said. “We can’t be waiting until the last minute. Please appoint a fentanyl czar. Start showing the Americans what we are doing.”
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith backed Ford’s call, saying in a Feb. 8 social media post, “I agree with Premier Doug Ford. What’s the hold-up in Ottawa?”
Smith, who will join a mission of premiers to Washington, D.C., on Feb. 12, urged the federal government to appoint the fentanyl czar before then to support the premiers’ mission.
“Alberta is perplexed and concerned by the delay in appointing this Fentanyl czar and calls on the federal government to do so without further delay,” she wrote in the Feb. 9 post on the platform X. She adds that, while efforts to strengthen border security and counter the fentanyl trade are underway, they will have limited impact without a federal lead to coordinate the national response.
Public Safety Minister David McGuinty had said on Feb. 6 that the terms of reference for the fentanyl czar will be finalized by the end of the week, saying that the government will “absolutely” make the appointment within the 30-day reprieve. “We intend to be way more proactive than that,” he said during a press conference in Ottawa.
McGuinty said fentanyl is a complicated, multifaceted issue, encompassing foreign affairs, law enforcement, intelligence, public health, and the tracing of its chemical precursors. He added that the fentanyl czar’s role will focus on integrating a whole-of-society approach.
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