Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says it’s early days on figuring out how the province will patrol its border with Montana but says there are options, and pointed to existing specialized sheriff units as a model.
Smith’s pledge came after an emergency meeting this week to strategize with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and other premiers over threats from incoming U.S. president Donald Trump.
Trump has said he will slap a 25 per cent tariff on all Canadian and Mexican imports on his first day in office in January until the flow of illegal migrants and drugs is stemmed.
Smith is urging the federal government to come up with a better border security plan, but said Thursday she’s prepared to pony up provincial resources.
“I don’t think it’s unusual to have the Alberta government take an interest, through our various law enforcement mechanisms, to make sure that we’re addressing the illegal flows, whether it’s people or drugs across the border,” she said.
The premier suggested Alberta’s special border patrol could operate much like an existing, specialized fugitive apprehension team of sheriffs, who support police services across the province.
Smith said the province is responsible for policing land near the border, and it’s incumbent on them to work with their federal counterparts, Canadian border security and Montana officials.
“It’s a joint effort that we need to have. We do joint operations all the time,” she said.
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Alberta has six land ports of entry along Canada’s border with the United States.
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According to the Canada Border Services Agency, in 2023 the Prairie region’s various points of entry seized a total of 77 firearms and hundreds of kilograms of drugs, including nearly a metric tonne of meth.
The province is mulling several options in an effort to show it is taking a harder stance against illegal items crossing the border, including more patrols, stricter policies or even drones, in an effort to quell Trump’s concerns about security.
“We have a strong mutual interest in solving this problem,” Smith said. “It’s been pushed to the forefront because of tariffs, but it’s still an important issue that we need to solve.”
When asked how the provincial effort will work, given that international borders fall under federal jurisdiction, Smith said that federal jurisdiction over the border is actually “narrow.”
“There’s a lot of land mass right after you cross the border that we’re responsible for,” she said.
NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi said Thursday that Smith hasn’t thought through her border patrol plan, and is undermining Canadian negotiations with the U.S. by conceding that Trump’s demands are valid.
“This is a tiny problem — for the premier to concede it’s a problem, that’s not how you enter a negotiation,” Nenshi said. “And by the way, who is she hiring to patrol the border? Is she hiring a new alberta patrol border service?”
Nenshi said everyone benefits from a strong, secure border, but “if your problem is illegal stuff coming in, then you have to fortify your side of the border.”
“I’m not sure if Premier Smith is now suggesting that Alberta sheriffs, an Alberta border patrol will now search every single person going down to the Walmart in Billings, Montana,” he said.
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Public Safety Minister Mike Ellis reiterated the United Conservatives’ position that Americans are right to be concerned about drugs entering their country from Canada.
Ellis said he’s reaching out to the attorney general of Montana to talk about working together on border measures.
“We’re formulating a plan right now,” he said.
Earlier this week, Ellis said the province has been talking for more than a year about placing more sheriffs along the border with the U.S.
The minister also said the government has been considering sending additional sheriffs to the provincial boundary along the Rocky Mountains in an effort to stem potential drug trafficking from B.C.
His office did not provide details about how much money the province is willing to put into the promised new border patrols.
— With files from Karen Bartko, Global News