Canada has named former senior police officer Kevin Brosseau as its new fentanyl tsar, fulfilling its commitment to Trump to intensify efforts against drug trafficking in exchange for a pause on trade tariffs.
Brosseau “will work closely with US counterparts and law enforcement agencies to accelerate Canada’s ongoing work to detect, disrupt, and dismantle the fentanyl trade,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a statement.
Previously serving as Trudeau’s deputy national security and intelligence adviser, Brosseau spent over two decades in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, including as Manitoba’s commanding officer.
Trump has urged Canada to crack down on cross-border fentanyl trafficking, though Ottawa maintains that less than 1 percent of fentanyl entering the US originates from its territory.
The US president has temporarily halted 25 percent tariffs on Canadian goods for a month after Canada pledged to strengthen its efforts against fentanyl smuggling and undocumented migration. Ottawa also asserts that fewer than 1 percent of illegal migrants enter the US via Canada’s border.
