Ontario has ramped up efforts in securing the Canadian-U.S. border from illegal activity, with a new resource that will deploy 200 officers.
Launched as “Operation Deterrence,” the province is expanding enhanced security at international borders and tackling criminal activity that it says is “harming people on both sides.”
“Ontario has been calling on the federal government to step up and address safety and security concerns at the border. We need to see words turned into visible action,” Premier Doug Ford said in a news release on Tuesday.
“In the meantime, Ontario is stepping up with Operation Deterrence to crack down on illegal border crossings and illegal guns and drugs. A more coordinated, Team Canada approach that includes more boots on the ground is the only way to detect, deter and disrupt illegal activity and ensure the safety and security of Canadian and American communities.”
As part of Operation Deterrence, the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) has banded together an emergency response team of 200 officers that will work alongside frontline and speciality officers. The province says since Dec. 6, the OPP has conducted more than 6,000 hours of patrols to deter, detect and disrupt illegal border activity through the use of aircrafts, helicopters, boats, off-road vehicles, patrol vehicles and foot patrol.
The new efforts come amid U.S. president-elect Donald Trump’s looming threat of 25 per cent tariffs imposed against Canada and Mexico. Trump says the tariffs will stay in place until both nations take action to dismantle the flow of illegal drugs and migrants into American soil. Trump is set to be inaugurated on Jan. 20.
In a CNN interview on Monday evening, Ford said while he agrees with Trump’s request to tighten up the border, he also stressed the importance of the existing trade relationship between Canada and the U.S.
“Canada does $1.3 trillion of two-way trade with the U.S., we’re the largest trading partner. We ship down 4.3 million barrels of oil every single day. We send electricity down to the U.S., critical minerals. These are all areas in different sectors that Americans need, and why disrupt that?” Ford questioned.
The premier also clarified during the broadcast that his remarks about buying Alaska was just a joke, and ensured that Canada won’t be joining the U.S. as its 51st state anytime soon like Trump has previously suggested.
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“It’s just not realistic, we’re a sovereign country. We’re proud. Canadians, just like Americans, are proud,” Ford said.
“What I want to do is make sure that we build a fortress in Canada, making sure that we’re the strongest, richest and most prosperous two countries in the entire world.”
