Ottawa should not accommodate U.S. President Donald Trump’s “bogus” claims of a fentanyl crisis at the border, federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh told reporters at a Verdun grocery store on Tuesday.
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He encouraged shoppers to “boycott anything that’s made in the United States” as he selected Quebec and other Canadian products off the shelves of the Chez Robin grocery store.
Singh’s comments come after an 11th-hour deal between Trump and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday to pause tariffs for 30 days. The agreement will see Canada appoint a “fentanyl czar,” list cartels as terrorist organizations and launch a “Canada-U.S. Joint Strike Force” against organized crime. It follows a previous federal commitment to spend $1.3 billion on border security.
“We should be protecting our borders from the illicit materials that come from the States to Canada” including firearms, Singh said, rather than focusing on fentanyl crossing in the other direction. Less than one per cent of the fentanyl entering the United States comes from Canada.
Yielding to Trump’s demands is the wrong approach to the tariff threat, Singh said.
“Donald Trump is a bully and the only thing that works against bullies is strength.”
This report will be updated.