PRESIDENT TRUMP SAYS HIS 25% TARIFF ON IMPORTS FROM CANADA WILL GO INTO EFFECT ON TUESDAY, DESPITE THE EFFORTS OF CANADIAN OFFICIALS TO PERSUADE THEIR AMERICAN COUNTERPARTS THAT THEY'VE BEEN WORKING ON BORDER SECURITY AND IMPROVED IT.

DAVID MCGUINTY IS CANADA'S MINISTER OF PUBLIC SAFETY AND THIS WEEK HE'S BEEN IN WASHINGTON, MEETING WITH ADMINISTRATION OFFICIALS.

I WANT TO REMIND PEOPLE WHY TRUMP SAYS HE IS OPPOSING THESE TARIFFS, HE POSTED ON TRUTH SOCIAL, DRUGS ARE STILL POURING INTO OUR COUNTRY FROM MEXICO AND CANADA AT VERY HIGH AND UNACCEPTABLE LEVELS.

UNTIL IT STOPS OR IS SERIOUSLY LIMITED, THE PROPOSED TARIFFS, SCHEDULED TO GO INTO EFFECT ON MARCH 4TH, WILL INDEED GO INTO EFFECT.

WHAT DO YOU SAY TO THAT?

DAVID: I THINK WHAT WE SAY IS WE HAVE HAD A WONDERFUL FOUR DAYS HERE IN WASHINGTON, D.C., MEETING WITH OUR COUNTERPARTS, BOTH FOLKS IN THE SENATE, THE HOUSE.

I BROUGHT DOWN THE HEAD OF OUR CANADA BORDER SERVICES AGENCY, BROUGHT DOWN THE HEAD OF OUR RCMP, BROUGHT DOWN OUR NEW FENTANYL CZAR TO MEET WITH EXECUTIVES AND FOLKS IN THE WHITE HOUSE, FOR EXAMPLE.

SO I THINK WHAT WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO SHOW THIS WEEK IS ENORMOUS PROGRESS ON THAT BORDER.

AND IT'S IMPORTANT FOR US TO REMEMBER THAT A BORDER IS A TWO WAY STREET.

WE'VE MADE PROGRESS IN TERMS OF SOUTHERN FLOWING PROBLEMS, AND WE'RE MAKING PROGRESS WITH THE UNITED STATES ON NORTHERN FLOWING PROBLEMS.

JOHN: WHAT IS THEIR RESPONSE?

DAVID: I THINK WE ARE ALL ENCOURAGED BECAUSE WE ARE REMEMBERING THE EXTENT TO WHICH WE ARE CONNECTED.

WE HAVE HAD A RELATIONSHIP THAT GOES BACK 150 PLUS YEARS, A VERY PRODUCTIVE ONE, FRANKLY, A SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN BOTH OUR COUNTRIES, NOT SOMETHING EITHER OF US ONCE TO COMPROMISE.

WHAT WE ARE HEARING BACK IS, THINK YOU FOR BRINGING US BACK UP TO SPEED AND FOR THE PRACTICAL MEASURES.

THERE'VE BEEN ALL KINDS OF THOSE AS MENTIONED APPOINTING A , FENTANYL CZAR, LISTING CRIMINAL CARTELS AS TERRORIST ORGANIZATION LAST WEEK.

A SERIES OF THESE MEASURES WHICH ARE REALLY STARTING TO KICK IN.

JOHN: IN TERMS OF MEETING WHAT THE PRESIDENT SAYS HE WANTS, HE SAYS EITHER WANTS THE FENTANYL TRAFFIC EITHER ENDED OR SERIOUSLY LIMITED.

HAVE THEY TOLD YOU WHAT SERIOUSLY LIMITED MEANS?

DAVID: IT MEANS AS LITTLE AS POSSIBLE, IF NO FENTANYL, BECAUSE FENTANYL IS A TERRIBLE SCOURGE WREAKING HAVOC IN BOTH OF OUR COUNTRIES.

THERE ARE SOME DAYS ON A PER CAPITA BASIS, THERE ARE MORE CANADIANS DYING FROM FENTANYL AND OPIATE OVERDOSES THAN THE UNITED STATES.

WE UNDERSTAND AS WE GET THIS.

WE ALSO KNOW THAT WE CANNOT WRESTLE THE FENTANYL CRISIS TO THE GROUND UNLESS WE DO IT TOGETHER.

JOHN: LOOKING AT THE STATISTICS, THERE'S VERY LITTLE COMPARED TO THE SOUTHERN BORDER.

VERY LITTLE COMES IN OVER THE NORTHERN BORDER.

DAVID: LESS THAN 1% OF FENTANYL ENTERING THE UNITED STATES COMES FROM CANADA.

LESS THAN 1% OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION IN THE UNITED STATES COMES FROM CANADA, BUT THERE IS MORE TO BE DONE.

I THINK THIS WEEK WAS A VERY GOOD SERIES OF MEETINGS FOR US TO SHARE THE IMPROVEMENTS AND TO SEE WHERE WE CAN CONTINUE TO COOPERATE.

JOHN: AS YOU SAY THE CANADIAN , FENTANYL CZAR, KEVIN BROUSSEAU, WAS ON YOUR DELEGATION.

HIS APPOINTMENT IS ONE OF THE THINGS THAT HELPED PRESIDENT TRUMP DECIDE TO DELAY THESE TARIFFS AT THE BEGINNING OF FEBRUARY.

HOW WAS HE RECEIVED AND WHAT WAS HE ABLE TO TELL THEM ABOUT WHAT HE'S DONE SINCE HE'S BEEN IN THAT JOB AND HOW WAS IT RECEIVED?

DAVID: I THINK IT WAS VERY WELL RECEIVED IN THE SENSE THAT THE THE ADMINISTRATION AND POLITICIANS AND OTHERS UNDERSTAND THAT THIS FENTANYL CRISIS IS A WHOLE OF SOCIETY PROBLEM.

IT IS NOT JUST LAW ENFORCEMENT, NOT JUST CHEMISTRY AND TRACKING AND TRACING PRECURSORS, FOR EXAMPLE, FROM OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD.

IT'S MANY, MANY FACTORS, MANY PLAYERS TOGETHER.

AND THE FENTANYL CZAR'S JOB IN CANADA IS TO HELP INTEGRATE ALL OF THOSE RESPONSES SO WE CAN REALLY WRESTLE THIS TO THE GROUND.

LAST WEEK WE CONVENED SIX OF CANADA'S TOP BANKS TO STRIKE A NEW AGREEMENT ON TRACKING AND TRACING MONEY FLOWS.

FINDING OUT HOW FOLKS ARE MONEY LAUNDERING THROUGH OUR BANKS, ENGAGING THE PRIVATE SECTOR.

WHEN WE LISTED THESE CARTELS AS TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONS, WE'VE GIVEN OUR LAW ENFORCEMENT NOW MORE POWERS TO INTERRUPT THE FLOW OF MONEY AND REALLY TO GO AFTER THE MONEY AND TO SEIZE ASSETS, EVEN ASSETS OF THOSE WHO COOPERATE WITH THESE GROUPS.

JOHN: YOU TALK ABOUT THE FENTANYL PROBLEM, THAT IT'S GOT TO BE WORKED ON BOTH SIDES.

IS THIS A BIT LIKE THE DRUG SITUATION A FEW YEARS AGO THAT IT IS NOT SO MUCH THE SUPPLY AS IT IS THE DEMAND?

DAVID: IT IS BOTH AND IT IS WREAKING HAVOC ON OUR COMMUNITIES RIGHT ACROSS BOTH OF OUR COUNTRIES, WHICH IS WHY WE'RE ARE HERE TO INDICATE THE DEGREE TO WHICH WE'RE PREPARED AND ARE COOPERATING.

ANOTHER MEASURE WE LAUNCHED IS A NEW JOAN -- JOINT STRIKE FORCE.

TEN NEW TEAMS IN THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA WORKING TOGETHER.

MORE COOPERATION AT THE BORDER AND MORE COOPERATION IN TERMS OF TRACKING AND TECHNOLOGY.

SO THESE THINGS, WE BELIEVE WILL REALLY HELP WRESTLE THIS SCOURGE TO THE GROUND.

JOHN: BASED ON YOUR MEETINGS THIS WEEK IS THERE ANY REASON TO HOPE OR BELIEVE THAT THESE TARIFFS WILL BE PAUSED AGAIN, AS THEY WERE AT THE BEGINNING OF FEBRUARY?

DAVID: ONE OF THE THINGS I LEARNED A LITTLE WHILE AGO, WE CAN ONLY CONTROL WHAT WE CAN CONTROL BUT THE PRESIDENT OF THE U.S. AND A NEW ADMINISTRATION HAS SAID THAT CONCERNS ABOUT THESE ISSUES, WE'VE ADDRESSED THEM THE BEST OF OUR ABILITY.

JOHN: CANADIAN PUBLIC SAFETY MINISTER DAVID MCGUINTY, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

DAVID: THANK YOU.

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