Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is calling for Canada to use its military to reinforce border security as the United States prepares to place tariffs on Canada over border concerns.
Speaking to reporters in Ottawa on Feb. 3, Poilievre said while Canada needed to do more to stop illegal migrants, drugs, and guns at the border, U.S. President Donald Trump had “wrongly used this risk as a rationale” to place tariffs on Canada.
Hours before Poilievre spoke, Trump said he had spoken with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, and had agreed to pause the tariffs planned for Mexico for one month after the country committed to increasing its border security by sending 10,000 Mexican soldiers to the border. Trump added that his administration would continue working to make a “deal” between the two countries.
Poilievre said Parliament should be recalled in order to adopt the Tory plan, part of which involves sending Canadian Armed Forces and military helicopters to the border.
The plan would also see the Canada Border Services Agency hire at least 2,000 new agents to intercept illegal crossers, drugs, and guns, and be given expanded powers to “patrol everywhere along the border, not just at official border crossings.”
The Conservative leader also called for the construction of border surveillance towers and the deployment of truck-mounted drone systems to spot illegal immigration, and for high-powered scanners that can “see through the walls of containers and vehicles” to be placed at major land crossings and ports.
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Poilievre also criticized the government for not having accurate numbers on how many people are in Canada illegally, saying it should more accurately track departures.
“How are we supposed to protect our borders when there could be over half a million people inside those borders illegally, according to the government’s own admissions,” he said.
Trump has said 25 percent tariffs will be levied on goods from Canada beginning on Feb. 4, while oil and gas exports will be taxed at 10 percent. The Liberal government responded on Feb. 1 by announcing $155 billion in retaliatory tariffs, with an initial $30 billion being imposed on Feb. 4 when the U.S. tariffs come into force.
Other Measures
Speaking to reporters in B.C. on Feb. 2, Poilievre also called for Canada to reduce interprovincial trade barriers and “bring home production and self-reliance,” saying that the country is vulnerable because it sells twice as much to the United States as it does domestically.
“These interprovincial barriers are destructive. They kill jobs, they drive up consumer prices, and they cost the average family $6,000 a year. Let’s knock them down, and let’s be a truly free-trading economy ourselves,” he said.
The Conservative leader said Parliament should be immediately recalled to pass legislation that would provide Canadians with a tax cut, while also repealing the federal carbon tax and capital gains tax increase. Poilievre also called for Ottawa to start new natural resource projects that include liquid natural gas plants, factories, and mines, as well as new pipelines and port expansions to allow Canada to export its products to new markets.
“It was insane for us to block our industries before this crisis. It is a fatal mistake now,” he said.
Poilievre said Canada’s retaliatory tariffs should be “dollar-for-dollar” while also maximizing the impact on American companies and minimizing the impact on Canadian consumers and businesses. Poilievre said this meant targeting U.S. products that Canada doesn’t need or can buy from other countries, citing steel and aluminum as an example.
Poilievre also said with Canada poised to bring in billions of dollars in tax revenue, that money should be given directly to businesses and workers. “None of the money from the tariffs should stay in government coffers or be spent on unrelated government priorities,” he said.
Another part of Poilievre’s plan involves increasing military spending to meet NATO’s 2 percent of GDP target for member countries.
Poilievre also spoke directly to Americans during the press conference, posing the question, “Even if you believe in tariffs, how is it possible to put a 25 percent tariff on Canada and only 10 percent on China?” He said if the motivation was to stop fentanyl from flowing into the United States, both countries should work together to target China.
“Fentanyl is coming from China. It’s killing our people too. We both have to do more to stop it, but we can do more when we do it together,” he said.
