WINNIPEG — Manitoba conservation officers will soon be helping with surveillance at the U.S. border as part of a plan to address threatened tariffs on Canadian goods, Premier Wab Kinew said Friday.
Conservation officers who already work in the southern part of the province will be asked to help inform police and border officials about what's happening on the ground. They can also help people in dire situations, Kinew said.
"They're going to be able to step in in a humanitarian situation, but more likely be that additional eyes and ears to report things to the RCMP or to the Canadian Border Services Agency," Kinew told reporters.
U.S. president-elect Donald Trump has threatened to impose 25 per cent tariffs on all imports from Canada and Mexico unless the two countries stop illegal border crossings and prevent illicit drugs from entering the U.S.
Kinew and other politicians have warned the impact on Canada's economy would be severe.
The federal government has promised to beef up border security in the coming weeks. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has also floated the idea of a special border patrol that would operate like an existing, fugitive-apprehension team of sheriffs.
Kinew said a response to the demand for a stronger border is necessary.
"The idea is just to have more of a presence in the (border) region, given the fact that our economic relationship with the U.S., which is so important, is going to rely on us saying, 'You know what? We are a trusted partner when it comes to jobs. We're a trusted partner when it comes to cracking down on drugs. And we're a trusted partner when it comes to the border, too.'"
The Opposition Progressive Conservatives questioned the NDP government's plan and said conservation officers already have a heavy workload.
"We need to see the details. But the fact remains that we don't have enough conservation officers here in Manitoba to handle the workload throughout the province," Tory legislature member Greg Nesbitt said.
The union that represents conservation officers said it was surprised by the announcement and was waiting for more information.
"We know that conservation officers are already really stretched thin as it is, so I think it'll be challenging to provide that service on top of what they already do," Kyle Ross, president of the Manitoba Government and General Employees Union, said.
The border between Manitoba and the U.S. has been the scene of many migrant crossings, including a case in January 2022 when a family of four from India froze to death while trying to walk across the border in a blizzard.
Two men, Steve Shand and Harshkumar Patel, were convicted of human smuggling charges in the case last month and are to be sentenced in March. Their Minnesota trial was told they were part of an organized operation that had people from India get to Canada on student visas then walk into the U.S. in areas away from official checkpoints.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 6, 2024.
Steve Lambert, The Canadian Press
