So began the trade war. A supposed drug war that was doomed to fail.
In an attempt to avoid tariffs, and appease Trump, the Canadian government agreed last month to invest heavily in Canadian-U.S. border security, creating a “Canada-US Joint Strike Force to combat organized crime, fentanyl and money laundering.” The leader of this “strike force” is Canada’s newly appointed Fentanyl Czar, former Mountie Kevin Brosseau.
Apparently, Donald Trump doesn’t think he’s done a good job. The tariffs were imposed Tuesday.
Brosseau is a University of Alberta graduate and holds a Master of Laws from Harvard. He is a former police officer with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). He has held prior positions with Transport Canada and until recently was the Associate Deputy Minister of Fisheries and Oceans. More pointedly, he has been in the Privy Council Office since October 2024 as the Deputy National Security and Intelligence Advisor. It is likely the last position that secured his job as the Fentanyl Czar.
A “czar” in the modern political sense is not often seen in Canadian news media or politics. In American politics, a czar is a U.S. presidential adviser who is appointed to direct a certain initiative without being vetted or confirmed. A move some consider to be unconstitutional as they are largely unaccountable and can have significant influence on policy. President Trump has appointed a “border czar,” an “AI czar” and even a “pardon czar,” among others.
In Canada, news media has referred to certain political appointees such as “czars” but this appears to be the first time a Canadian government has made the reference. The Boston Globe reports experts view the move as an attempt to placate Trump rather than an actual health policy initiative for Canadians.
“It’s not for a Canadian audience. It’s for Donald Trump and the people in the White House.”
When asked about why the government had chosen the title of czar, Public Safety Minister David McGuinty quipped, “The focus here is on demonstrating the level of seriousness that we’re now putting forward through this appointment.”
So, Brosseau is Canada’s first real czar, but beyond Trump, what does his czardom entail for Canadians and the fentanyl crisis on this side of the border?
The czar’s official job description is to “support law enforcement agencies to engage with American counterparts and to accelerate Canada’s ongoing work to detect, disrupt and dismantle the fentanyl trade.”
Less than one per cent of U.S. border fentanyl seizures are at the Canadian border.
As many publications have made clear, less than one per cent of U.S. border fentanyl seizures are at the Canadian border. In 2024, 9,570 kg of fentanyl was seized at the U.S.-Mexico border, while just 19.5 kg entered the United States from Canada. Meanwhile, the U.S. shipped us 4.9 kg of the toxic opioid over the same period.
When asked in an interview whether it was a feasible goal to further reduce fentanyl crossing the border, Brosseau responded: “Getting the number to zero is in fact the goal and should be our goal. If it is one pound or 10 pounds, we all know the amount of deaths that possibly could represent.”
Brosseau has a good point, but efforts to reduce the manufacturing and trafficking of fentanyl in and outside of Canada have been ongoing for years.
Fentanyl manufacturing does occur in Canada. Data from Project Guardian, a public-private partnership on money laundering from illicit synthetic opioids, suggests that most precursor materials are directed toward B.C. for production and distribution. Indeed, the largest drug lab in Canada was raided and dismantled by the RCMP in October 2024; 54 kg of fentanyl, massive amounts of precursor chemicals and various other drugs and weapons were seized.
In Canada, opioid deaths from fentanyl have increased 39 per cent since they were first tracked in 2016, but this has stabilized in recent years. Opioid-related deaths and poisonings are down about 10 per cent since 2023. This decrease may be the result of existing efforts to curb fentanyl overdoses and death in Canada, with more than $1 billion in federal funding since 2017. Naturally, this all has been done without a czar in charge.
In light of the new czardom, the government has committed to new initiatives, including a Joint Operational Intelligence Cell with $200 million in funding. In one of his first acts, Brosseau met recently with the largest banks in Canada and the RMCP to discuss the creation of a money-laundering intelligence group for combat fentanyl trafficking.
“This is a clear demonstration of how seriously Canada is taking the fentanyl crisis in this country and how important our relationship is with our American counterparts,” Brosseau said in an interview when asked what he would say to Trump.
Advisors to the President were reportedly “pleased” with Canada’s progress since Brazeau’s appointment. After a visit to Washington last week, Brosseau gauged U.S. officials’ reactions to Canada’s new policies as “very positive.” Obviously, none of this has had any effect on Trump.
With almost 50,000 deaths from opioids in Canada since 2016, the domestic crisis is an ongoing problem without a simple solution. Political infighting about how to best manage the problem limits serious discussion about a national strategy.
The appointment of a Fentanyl Czar isn’t a bad idea. Unfortunately, as a political gamesmanship ploy and without clear, realistic domestic mandates or goals, it is a wasted opportunity. This is pure political theatre. As Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Tuesday, “it’s now clear there was never a possibility of avoiding these tariffs by cracking down on the border … the fentanyl excuse for the tariffs was something of a cover – a ‘legal justification’ to tap emergency presidential trade powers.”
And with that, our first czar just might be looking for some direction.
