Question Period Note: Detecting and Disruption the Illegal Fentanyl Trade

• The opioid overdose crisis is a public health and safety emergency of significant concern.
• Canada works with domestic and international partners, including law and border enforcement, to combat the illegal fentanyl and precursor chemical trade; this includes Border Plan investments to detect and disrupt illicit supply chains.

• Protecting Canadians from the harms associated with the illegal drug trade is a top priority for our government.
• Our Border Plan expands support to stem the flow of illegal drugs and precursor chemicals across our borders. We have appointed a Fentanyl Czar and invested in new detection and imaging tools, detector dog teams, intelligence sharing capacity and a Joint Strike Force with our U.S. partners.
• We will hire 1000 new RCMP officers and 1000 new border officers to fight drug trafficking and other crimes. We will invest in prosecution and put drug traffickers behind bars.
• We will continue to support enforcement as part of a federal drug policy that protects the health and safety of all Canadians.

Federal responses

• Canada’s Border Plan invests $1.3 billion to bolster border security and strengthen our immigration system, including by creating:
o A Joint Operational Intelligence Cell to better leverage information sharing, analysis and actioning intelligence to target transnational organized crime and improve border security;
o An Integrated Money Laundering Intelligence Partnership to increase targeted information sharing between law enforcement and Canada’s financial sector;
o A North American Joint Strike Force with the U.S. to target transnational organized crime groups involved in illegal fentanyl production, trafficking, and money laundering; and
o A Chemical Precursor Risk Management Unit and Canadian Drug Analysis Centre to provide greater insight into precursor chemicals and distribution channels.
• Canada appointed a Fentanyl Czar and listed seven organized crime groups as terrorist organizations to provide law enforcement with additional tools to fight drug crime.
• The Canadian Drugs and Substances Strategy is the federal government’s comprehensive, drug policy. It incorporates efforts in prevention and education, evidence, substance use services and supports (treatment, harm reduction and recovery), and substance controls.

Platform commitments

• The 2025 Liberal Party of Canada platform commits to addressing the illegal drug trade, including fentanyl, by:
o Ending drug trafficking in our communities, including by recruiting and training 1000 more RCMP personnel;
o Cracking down on drugs, including fentanyl and its precursors. To this end, the Party commits to hiring 1000 new CBSA officers, standing up additional border scanners, drones and new detector dog teams to target suspicious shipments;
o Investing in the Public Prosecution Service of Canada to prosecute more complex drug trafficking and organized crime offences;
o Amending the Canada Post Corporation Act to allow police to search for and seize fentanyl and other contraband in the mail with a general warrant; and
o Updating the Canada Coast Guard mandate to include countering criminal activity like drug trafficking.

If Pressed
Q1- Listing transnational criminal organizations in Canada as terrorist entities under the Criminal Code
• The Government of Canada is committed to protecting the safety and security of people in Canada and Canadians abroad, and stopping the transnational criminal organizations behind the fentanyl crisis and other harmful criminal activity.
• The listed entities are transnational criminal organizations that do harm and spread fear by using extreme violence, trafficking drugs, arms and people, and engaging in other serious crimes.
• Based on their actions, these organizations meet the threshold for listing them as terrorist groups as set out in the Criminal Code.
• Listing these entities gives Canadian law and border enforcement more tools to help fight organized drug crime and keep Canadians safe.

Q2- Money Laundering
• To strengthen Canada’s ability to combat financial crimes and money laundering, the Government has:
o Created new Integrated Money Laundering Investigative Teams in British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, and Quebec to undertake complex money laundering investigations;
o Launched the Integrated Money Laundering Intelligence Partnership to increase targeted information sharing between law enforcement and Canada’s financial sector;
o Invested in modernizing the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC)’s intelligence and compliance tools to enhance capacity to respond to money laundering threats; and
o Provided $29.9 million to the Canada Border Services Agency to combat financial crime.

Q3- Financial Action Task Force (FATF)
• The Government of Canada takes the challenges identified by the FATF's 2016 Mutual Evaluation Report of Canada seriously.
• Since 2018, the government has invested nearly $470 million to strengthen data resources, financial intelligence, information sharing, and investigative capacity to support anti-money laundering (AML) and anti-terrorist financing (ATF) investigations in Canada.
• In Canada’s most recent follow-up report (October 2021), the FATF recognized improvements to Canada’s AML/ATF Regime and elevated Canada’s international standing in compliance with the FATF standards.
• Canada continues to identify and implement improvements to its AML/ATF regime and is currently undergoing a mutual evaluation by the FATF. Its evaluation report will be published in Summer/Fall 2026.

Q4- International Engagement
• The Government of Canada understands that organized drug crime groups do not respect borders and that to combat the illegal drug trade we must work with our international partners, in bilateral and multilateral forums.
• Law and border enforcement officials work directly with international counterparts every day to keep our border secure and Canadians safe from drug threats.
• Our work through the Canada-U.S. Opioids Action Plan and the North American Drug Dialogue help us to share information, learn about best practices, and coordinate drug policies.
• We work through the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs to make sure fentanyl precursors are controlled in all countries.
• This engagement is helping the Government to tackle this global threat and we will continue to support it.

Q5- Law enforcement (Policing)
• The Royal Canadian Mounted Police’s (RCMP) Federal Policing program detects, investigates, and disrupts major criminal threats to public safety, including the illegal fentanyl market. Their intelligence and investigative efforts target all aspects of the drug trade to disrupt transnational organized crime groups involved in fentanyl production and trafficking.
• Across Canada, the RCMP operates Clandestine Laboratory Enforcement and Response teams that target organized crime groups involved in the production of illegal substances, including fentanyl, and provide specialized support to local law enforcement in detecting and dismantling clandestine drug laboratories.
• Since 2018, the RCMP and local law enforcement have identified and dismantled close to 50 clandestine laboratories where there were indications of fentanyl production.

Q6- Law enforcement (Border)
• The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) remains vigilant in the interdiction of illegal drugs to ensure these harmful substances remain off the streets and out of our communities. The Agency continues to seize fentanyl and other controlled substances, in addition to precursor chemicals that can be used in the production of illegal synthetic drugs.
• The CBSA works very closely with the RCMP and police of jurisdiction in Joint Force Operations to support criminal investigations and prosecutions.
• Through Canada’s Border Plan, the CBSA is bolstering the frontline and ensuring officers have the tools and technology required to continue to interdict illegal drugs and firearms.