A Royal Canadian Mounted Police vehicle is parked near the Canada-U.S. border during a patrol, in Saint-Georges-de-Clarenceville, Que. on Dec. 5, 2024.Carlos Osorio/Reuters
Provincial premiers eager to respond to U.S. president-elect Donald Trump’s complaints about lax Canadian border security have committed extra police reinforcements to address the issue.
But observers say these provincial forces – which include conservation officers redeployed by Saskatchewan, sheriffs dispatched in Alberta and police officers moved around in Ontario – are legally limited in the laws they can enforce, compared with federal agencies such as the RCMP and Canada Border Services Agency.
“Some of this is a little bit of border theatre,” says Mark Weber, president of the union representing CBSA’s border guards.
He noted in an interview that provincial and municipal police are able to enforce Canada’s Criminal Code. But they do not have the authority to enforce other federal laws such as the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, which can be used to jail and deport migrants who unlawfully enter Canada.
As a result, he said, a provincial policing authority at the border who apprehends someone suspected of crossing illegally could only briefly detain that person before an officer with either the RCMP or the CBSA would take over the case.
But Mr. Weber said those agencies are understaffed: “We’re afraid that what we see being set up between ports of entry is really just a very expensive taxi service where all of this money is going to be poured into agencies that, if they catch people or things coming into Canada, are simply going to be driven to us to process.”
The issue of migration has been in the spotlight in recent weeks as Canada and Mexico face pressure from Mr. Trump – who is set to take office Monday – to stop the flow of illegal crossings and drugs at their borders or be hit with steep tariffs on all goods imported to the U.S.
Several of the provinces that have announced new border policing initiatives in recent weeks say they are aware of jurisdictional distinctions and that their officers will often only be helping out federal law enforcement.
On Tuesday, Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe announced he would redeploy 16 officers from the province’s conservation, canine-handler and highway patrol teams to the border zones, and that his government would be ready to redeploy more if circumstances require.
The Alberta government last month announced a $29-million fund to send its sheriffs to border communities as part of a new interdiction patrol team. Arthur Green, a spokesperson for Alberta Public Safety Minister Mike Ellis, said in an e-mail that “if an arrest is made under federal legislation, sheriffs would deliver the person to the Canada Border Services Agency or RCMP for further investigation and charging.”
Ontario Premier Doug Ford last week announced that his government’s provincial police force redeployed 200 officers in mid-December.
“We’re doing our part on the borders,” Ontario Provincial Police Commissioner Thomas Carrique said in an interview. His officers have had some success in interdicting smuggled tobacco, spotting a suspicious small-plane landing and finding people with expired visas, he said.
“We’re in a great place and space where we have the desire and will of the governing authorities to see us play an active role in assisting the RCMP,” Commissioner Carrique said.
But he added that Mounties “have additional authorities that a general law enforcement officer for the OPP or a municipal service will not.”
The premiers of British Columbia and Quebec have demanded Ottawa immediately bolster the RCMP and CBSA.
“Border security and policing are areas primarily under the responsibility of the federal government,” said Chris Donnelly, a spokesperson for the B.C. Public Safety Ministry. He said in an e-mail that there has been “inadequate investment from the federal government in these areas.”
On Tuesday, Quebec Public Safety Minister Francois Bonnardel noted his province sees the vast majority of illegal crossings from Canada to the United States.
“We need to know what will be invested quickly by Ottawa by March 31 in terms of staff for the RCMP, in terms of additional equipment,” he told reporters.
Last month, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised to infuse more than $1-billion into the CBSA and RCMP. But some observers fear his border security announcement may amount to too little, too late given how the Liberal government has prorogued Parliament.
“We have a $1.3-billion plan, but we don’t have a Parliament that can vote for it, or vote on it and allocate the resources,” said Christian Leuprecht, a Queen’s University professor.
The Mounties say they are shoring up their staffing but they will not say by how much.
“The RCMP has increased its posture at the Canada-U.S. borders,” said Camille Boily-Lavoie, a spokesperson for the Mounties. She added that for operational reasons, “we can’t provide the number of members deployed between the ports of entry.”
Gabriel Brunet, a spokesperson for federal Public Safety Minister David McGuinty, said Ottawa is doing what it can while Parliament is prorogued.
“We are still enhancing border security with the purchase of new equipment and the hiring of new officers to patrol the border,” he said.
With reports from The Canadian Press