The border between upstate New York and Quebec saw a surge in migrant crossings in the first Trump presidency, when asylum seekers were desperate to avoid the U.S. president's crackdowns. Border officials in Canada warned of another increase in 2022.Brian Snyder/Reuters
Canadians of a certain age may remember a book published in 1976 called Between Friends/Entre Amis. A collection of photographs, essays and anecdotes curated by the National Film Board, it billed itself as Canada’s official gift to its neighbour on the occasion of the bicentennial of the American revolution.
The oversized hardcover was “a joyful recognition of the striking triumph of the human spirit reflected in the atmosphere of peace and friendship which pervades the many relationships between two proud and free nations,” Pierre Trudeau, the prime minister of the day, said in the foreword.
Even 48 years ago, it was unrealistic to pretend that the world’s longest undefended land border was a symbol of friendship and not an actual barrier between sovereign states.
Today, though, that disco-era sentiment is dangerously outdated, and it’s not just Donald Trump that is making us say that.
The president-elect’s threat to impose a 25-per-cent tariff on all imports from Canada and Mexico unless both countries stop illegal migration and fentanyl smuggling is outrageous. It upends a long history of Ottawa and Washington settling bilateral issues in a civil and constructive manner.
But beneath it lies the fact that the growing movement of migrants in the Americas, the rise of the illegal opioid trade, an increase in human smuggling and the ever-present threat of terrorism has prompted the U.S. to rethink its border policies in the 21st century.
And yet Canada, labouring under the nostalgic idea of the border symbolizing a special trust “between two proud and free nations,” has failed to properly acknowledge this.
On the Brink
This is part of a series on the continuing challenges facing Canada’s immigration system.
Overview: Our pillars of immigration are crumbling
Labour: Focus on the workers and skills we need the most
Refugees: A new approach is needed, not just more money
Enforcement: Incentives to follow the rules are not enough
Last week, it came to light that the Canada Border Services Agency’s Intelligence and Investigations Directorate informed the government 12 months ago that there had been a spike in 2022 in illegal crossings in both directions at the Canada-U.S. border, and that human smugglers were behind it.
That included a marked increase in people from Mexico flying to this country to use it as a backdoor into the United States. Ottawa reinstated visa requirements for some Mexicans visiting Canada at the end of February – 10 months after the Biden administration requested it do so in April, 2023.
And yet when Mr. Trump levelled his tariff threat last month, it seemed to catch the Trudeau government by surprise that the U.S. was concerned about a tenfold increase in arrests by the Border Patrol of people trying to enter the country illegally from Canada – from 2,238 in 2021-22 to 23,721 in 2023-24.
Immigration Minister Marc Miller compared those numbers to a “bad weekend” at the U.S.-Mexico border, and he had a point. The U.S. intercepted 1.53 million illegal crossers at its southern border in 2023-24; it also seized 21,100 pounds of fentanyl, compared to 43 pounds at the Canadian border.
But it still matters, just as it would to any country whose neighbour, through a change in immigration policies or lax action, caused a surge of migrants to head for the border – as many fear will happen to Canada because of Mr. Trump’s vow to deport illegal immigrants en masse.
The Trudeau government lost control of Canada’s immigration system, and yet it appears to have never occurred to it that this would be an issue for a country with which it shares a land border.
Fixing that begins with the federal government taking control of its refugee claims crisis (more on that in our next editorial in this series), restoring the primacy of points-based immigration, and working with the U.S. to ensure neither country is a backdoor into the other.
It also calls for Ottawa to streamline the way the RCMP and the CBSA patrol the border, and to provide the manpower, drones, helicopters, sensors and other equipment needed to defend 9,000 kilometres of boundary area against human smugglers, drug and gun smugglers, and other threats.
Ottawa should do this not to appease Mr. Trump, but in the interests of Canada. If our border with the U.S. is to be a symbol of anything, it should be that of a pragmatic country that welcomes immigration but is also unsentimental about its security and defence.
Editor’s note: A previous version of this article incorrectly referred to human traffickers. This version has been corrected to refer to smugglers. This article has also been updated to indicate that while Canada’s southern border is its most significant shared border, its land also abuts Hans Island and Alaska.
Podcast: A new diagnosis for immigration
How can Canada reach a better balance on immigration, housing and the labour market? Editorials editor Patrick Brethour spoke with The Decibel about the issues explored in this series. Subscribe for more episodes.