Federal, provincial politicians tour Manitoba border crossing as show of unity, security

What was touted arsenic a borderline information workout to amusement disconnected Canada’s preparedness astatine the Emerson borderline crossing successful Manitoba connected Tuesday, turned retired to beryllium much of a photo-op for politicians than a amusement of mightiness oregon security.

Media were invited 110 km southbound of Winnipeg to spot Canada Border Services Agency unit and RCMP little politicians and bureaucrats connected beefed-up information instrumentality and protocols.

But media arrived to find the invitation ended astatine the door. Politicians and information unit met successful a country with media near extracurricular to ticker done a window.

There was to beryllium a Black Hawk chopper objection patrolling the Canada-U.S. borderline but contempt wide skies and nary wind, that was nixed without explanation.

A Canadian Border Services Agency subordinate demonstrated for Premier Wab Kinew, Public Safety Minister David McGuinty and Winnipeg MPs Terry Duguid and Ben Carr a instrumentality utilized “to observe highly toxic substances” — similar fentanyl, which U.S. President Donald Trump cites among his reasons for threatening to enforce 25-per cent tariffs connected Canada and Mexico.

The U.S. government’s ain information shows little than 1 per cent of fentanyl determination comes done Canada.

The “border information exercise” was announced Monday up of Trump’s day telephone gathering with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. When that gathering wrapped, Trudeau announced a $1.3-billion program “reinforcing the borderline with caller choppers, exertion and personnel, enhanced coordination with our American partners and accrued resources to halt the travel of fentanyl.”

“When we person a unafraid border, that benefits radical successful our state and successful our country, and if we marque those investments astatine a clip that it helps to fortify the narration with the U.S., each the better,” said Kinew.

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McGuinty stuck to the publication — that this is astir beefing up information to conflict fentanyl astatine the border.

“We’re laser-focused present connected applicable measures,” Canada’s nationalist information curate told reporters aft touring the larboard of entry.

“We’re getting this occupation done. We’re going to beryllium truly wrestling this fentanyl scourge to the ground.”