Amidst the noise coming from the U.S. on tariffs and border security, the Ontario government announced a new program that will look to beef up security along the border with its southern neighbour.
“Ontario has been calling on the federal government to step up and address safety and security concerns at the border. We need to see words turned into visible action,” Premier Doug Ford stated.
“In the meantime, Ontario is stepping up with Operation Deterrence to crack down on illegal border crossings and illegal guns and drugs.”
The province says that it launched Operation Deterrence in early December, with provincial police using 200 officers who are focusing their efforts on disrupting illegal activity at the Canada-U.S. border.
That focus has included fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, remotely-piloted aircraft, boats, off-road vehicles, patrol vehicles and foot patrol, according to the province.
Ontario said its operation, which it describes as a “preparedness and planning framework,” will target activities outside of the 14 official border crossings staffed by federal border agents.
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The provincial government noted that the RCMP is also involved in the plan as it is offering the use of the emergency response team, front-line officers and additional specialty resources, including canine units, commercial motor vehicle inspections and criminal investigators.
Ontario said provincial and federal authorities teamed up on Friday to take part in a readiness exercise to promote enhanced coordination aimed at cracking down on issues at the border.
After winning the U.S. election last fall, president-elect Donald Trump was quick to threaten tariffs against Canada and Mexico if they did not stem the tide of drugs and illegal immigration into the United States.
U.S. authorities apprehended more than 23,000 people near the border in the 12 months ending in October 2024, more than double the previous year but a tiny fraction of the 1.5 million people apprehended near the U.S.-Mexico border during that time.
Some believe that Trump is also blustering as he looks to attempt to renegotiate NAFTA and gain more favourable terms for the U.S.
He took his threats one step further on Tuesday as he threatened to use “economic force” to eliminate the “artificially-drawn line” between the two nations.
Since Trump made his initial threats on potential tariffs, a number of other provinces have also announced plans to beef up border security, a while the federal government has offered its own $1.3 billion border security plan as well.
–with files from Global News, Reuters and The Canadian Press
© 2025 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
