Poilievre calls for asylum seeker cap, border plan as U.S. tariff threat looms

By Nojoud Al Mallees, The Canadian Press on December 1, 2024.

OTTAWA – Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has demanded the federal government present a plan before Parliament to beef up border security as U.S. president-elect Donald Trump threatens to impose stiff tariffs on Canada.

Poilievre says the plan should include measures to increase patrols and technology to crack down on illegal drug trafficking, as well as tightening visa rules and working with provincial law enforcement.

The Conservative leader told a news conference that Canada should also cap the number of asylum seekers as it faces a significant influx in refugee claims.

Trump has threatened to slap a 25 per cent tariff on imports from Canada and Mexico unless the two countries stop illegal border crossings and prevent illicit drugs such as fentanyl from entering the United States.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had dinner with Trump at his Mar-a-Lago estate on Friday, a meeting the president-elect later described as “very productive.”

Sources say Trudeau and Trump discussed trade, border security, Ukraine, NATO, icebreakers, the Middle East and the Group of Seven meeting in Alberta next year.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 1, 2024.

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