Four Canadian ministers on Tuesday unveiled a border security plan they had privately presented to US president-elect Donald Trump’s incoming administration, with an emphasis on surveillance, intelligence and technology.
Canadian ministers had an “encouraging” meeting with Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, Canadian Minister of Finance, Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs Dominic LeBlanc told reporters.
“I went through with Mr Homan the information that we’re sharing with you today... I’m encouraged by that conversation and by conversations I’ve had with the incoming [US] secretary of commerce, Howard Lutnick,” LeBlanc said.
Photo: Bloomberg
LeBlanc and his colleagues announced a plan to beef up the US-Canada border with helicopters, drones, surveillance towers and sniffer dogs, as well as a “joint strike force” to target transnational organized crime.
The embattled minority government of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said it would invest C$1.3 billion (US$908 million) toward border security over six years.
The plan focuses on fentanyl, irregular migration and organized crime.
Canada has been under pressure to beef up its border with the US since Trump threatened Canada and Mexico with sweeping 25 percent tariffs if they did not stem the movement of migrants and drugs into the US.
US authorities apprehended more than 23,000 people near the US-Canada border in the 12 months ending in October, more than double the previous 12-month period, but a tiny fraction of the 1.5 million people apprehended near the US-Mexico border during that time.
Canadian police said they have installed more cameras and sensors over the most-traversed section of the border over the past four years.
However, they acknowledge there is little they can do to stop southbound crossers.
Experts said the flurry of attention to the US-Canada border is as much about perception as reality.
A more effective mode of interdiction might be to stop people from coming to Canada in the first place, they said.
Canada is already attempting that — granting fewer visas and turning away visa-holders.
Canada also plans to amend its immigration law to allow authorities to “cancel, suspend, or vary immigration documents for reasons deemed in the public interest.”
Trudeau’s government was thrown into chaos on Monday when his finance minister and deputy prime minister Chrystia Freeland quit. Trudeau, trailing in polls, faces calls from within his own caucus to resign.
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
A US Marine Corps regiment equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) is set to participate in the upcoming Balikatan 25 exercise in the Luzon Strait, marking the system’s first-ever deployment in the Philippines. US and Philippine officials have separately confirmed that the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — the mobile launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile — would take part in the joint exercise. The missiles are being deployed to “a strategic first island chain chokepoint” in the waters between Taiwan proper and the Philippines, US-based Naval News reported. “The Luzon Strait and Bashi Channel represent a critical access
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College