THE trade war Between Canada and the United States, a break after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau agreed on the concerns of President Donald Trump on Monday concerns on Monday concerns on Monday concerns on Monday fentanyl Traffic through the border, including the appointment of a “fentanyl tsar”.
The Canadian government moved quickly to talk about the promise on Tuesday.
“What is our goal today?” Stop the prices. We are going to do what we have to do to strengthen this border … because there is so many things at stake for everyday Canadians, “the Minister of Public Security said David McGuinty on Tuesday on the Emerson border, Man. , Tuesday.
“The Prime Minister has signed a new intelligence directive on organized crime and fentanyl which will be supported by an investment of $ 200 million. We are going to name our first fentanyl tsar – the words are carefully chosen – which will serve as a main interlocutor between the Canadian and American governments and will improve our collaboration in the fight against fentanyl. »»
Trump previously highlighted the flow of illegal fentanyl in the United States as a main reason to impose large prices in Canada and Mexico.
However, Trudeau and McGuinty said less than one percent of fentanyl Entering the United States comes from Canada.
When Trump announced prices in Canada on Saturday and Canada retaliated with $ 155 billion in reprisals, tensions increased, with the threat of full-fledged trade war.
But a phone call on Monday afternoon between Trump and Trudeau seemed to reduce tensions for the moment.
In a discussion declaration, Trudeau said he had accepted new border security measures, leading to a 30 -day break on prices.
“Canada makes new commitments to appoint a fentanyl tsar, we list cartels as terrorists, will ensure 24/7 eyes on the border, will launch a joint strike force from Canada to combat organized crime, fentanyl and money laundering, ”said Trudeau in an article on social networks.
What is a fentanyl tsar?
The concept of a “border tsar” in Canada has already been raised before.
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On January 29, the Prime Minister of Alberta Danielle Smith said that Ottawa should Name a “tsar border” Work in collaboration with the United States
Addressing journalists, Smith said that a Canadian border tsar would work alongside Tom Homan, Trump’s choice for the American border tsar, to respond to fentanyl trafficking and illegal passages – problems of Trump have repeatedly called major concerns.
Smith said that having a border TSAR, in addition to a border security plan of $ 1.3 billion promised by Ottawa in the autumn economic declaration, would help Canada more The prices that Trump threatened to impose on Saturday.
She suggested that a retired military general would be ideal for the role and expressed his support for the acting bureaucrat of Alberta, Paul Wynyk, as a candidate. Wynnyk, a long-standing official, was the Deputy Minister of Health and Municipal Affairs of Alberta after his 38 years of career in the Canadian Armed Forces.
Authority on the border is not in the hands of the Canadian army. The border is managed by the Canada Border Services Agency and the police mounted in Royal Canada.
Mitchel Sollenberger, professor of political science at the University of Michigan-Dearborn, noted that the term “Tsar” has been used in the United States since the 20th century, including the creation of a “TSAR baseball commissioner” in 1920s, a “homeless homeless Czar” named by George W. Bush in 2002 and a “Tsar for internal security” after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
He added that the title was a way to attract the attention of the media and create a buzz on a new position of power, “similar to the Romanov”.
“But it is not a formal title and not a formal role and it generally does not have formal powers. Some of these positions can be very ceremonial. But they can also have significant power, ”said Sollenberger.
“The creation of a TSAR title is a means for presidents to cut through bureaucratic ribbon. Often, they blur the water on what is expressly authorized in law and what is a kind of gray zone, “he added.
For example, while Homan is the American choice for Border Czar, it is always difficult to know how much power he will have and what he can accomplish.
He is uncertain if he obtains additional authority, said Sollenberger.
Trudeau’s decision to create a fentanyl tsar following these threatened prices reflects a “good diplomacy,” said Sollenberger.
“It seems to be a step in this kind of management to appease the American administration,” he said.
We still do not know how much power this position will occupy or which will lead it, but Sollenberger remains skeptical as to whether it will bring a real change in the level of politics.
“It’s no longer a political solution, and I think it’s probably an intelligent decision. However, when titles like this are deployed so quickly with little fanfare – just nuggets of thought – and mainly respond to a political problem rather than fighting politics in a thoughtful way, it seems faultless, ” -It declared.
In an email at Global News on Tuesday, Stephen Schneider, professor of criminology at Saint-Mary University in Halifax, said that the role would probably be a position in the Canadian government responsible for supervising and coordinating the actions related to Fentanyl, including politics and legislation.
However, this role would not be able to go beyond the authorities or the responsibilities under the powers of the ministers. The Minister of Public Security is responsible for ACBSA and the RCMP, and for the introduction and development of any legislation through the departments that support this ministry which cover any change to these agencies.
Although this term was “omnipresent in America”, he said that he thought he was reflecting the Trump administration’s desire to exert greater influence on the interior control efforts of Canada.
“The American proposal that Canada creates the position of a fentanyl tsar is not yet clear,” he said.
– with Canadian press files