Canada Border-Security Plan to Address Trump Worries Expected Monday, Alberta Premier Says

By Paul Vieira

OTTAWA--The Canadian government is expected on Monday to roll out formally its plan to improve border security amid concerns from President-elect Donald Trump, said Alberta Premier Danielle Smith.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau presented the border-security initiative to the country's provincial premiers, or governors, during a virtual conference on Wednesday to discuss the response to Trump's pledge to impose a 25% tariff on Canadian imports, Smith said Thursday.

The tariff threat stems from Trump's concerns that both Canada and Mexico aren't doing enough to limit the flow of migrants and illegal drugs into the U.S., and Trump has said it could be implemented as early as his first day in office.

The prime minister "wanted to make sure he brought it to us first before making the call to" Trump, Smith told Canada's CTV News. "We'll see more detail around it on Dec. 16," the premier of the oil-rich province of Alberta said.

Canada's Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland is scheduled to introduce a fall economic statement Monday. That statement is expected to incorporate elements of Canada's strategy on U.S.-Canada relations, according to a person familiar with the preparation of the policy document.

"I hope that [the border plan] is going to be enough to get the conversation going in a different direction," Smith said, "but I think we're all steeling ourselves for the fact that we may be facing across-the-board 25% tariffs" from the U.S.

In response to Smith's comments, a spokeswoman for Trudeau referred to remarks from Freeland and Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc following the prime minister's meeting with provincial leaders.

LeBlanc this week confirmed some of what Smith told CTV News, such as that Trudeau presented a border-security plan to provincial leaders. The premiers reacted positively, LeBlanc said, and federal officials are encouraged by the provinces' willingness to commit their own law-enforcement assets to the cause.

Earlier, immediately after Trump's 25% tariff pledge, the public safety minister said the Liberal government would deploy money to buy drones and helicopters and hire additional border agents to further enhance security along the 5,500-mile U.S.-Canada border.

Write to Paul Vieira at [e-mail]

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

12-12-24 1844ET