QUEBEC — Premier François Legault says he made a clear pitch to the other premiers and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that the best way to get rid of U.S. president-elect Donald Trump’s complaints about the Canadian border is to reassure him the country is beefing up controls.
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But he says he did not get a clear answer to his request that Ottawa produce a detailed plan on how it will tighten border controls.
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Speaking to the media briefly Wednesday evening after attending an emergency virtual meeting between the premiers, territorial leaders and Trudeau, Legault said he made his case.
“I clearly asked Mr. Trudeau to table a plan, a detailed plan, to better secure the borders to avoid the 25 per cent tariffs of Mr. Trump,” Legault told reporters.
“I did not get a clear answer, but there is hope, because there was support from other premiers as well to go in this direction. I asked them to table a plan to better secure the borders between Canada and the United States.
“I think now’s not the time to play at whether it’s true or not that our borders are not secure. I think it’s important that a plan be tabled.”
Legault’s efforts to press Ottawa to move follow Trump’s threat Monday to impose a 25 per cent tariff on Canadian and Quebec goods because he is not happy with the border situation in Canada and Mexico.
Trump said the tariffs would remain in effect until Canada and Mexico stop illegal border crossings and prevent drugs like fentanyl from entering the U.S.
On Tuesday, Legault said Trump’s beefs are “legitimate” and reflect what the premier has been saying for years about the lack of border controls, which are a federal responsibility.
Earlier Wednesday, Legault said the plan he wants to see is essential to buy peace with Trump and protect the hundreds of thousands of Quebec and Canadian jobs that could be at risk with such astronomical tariffs.
“We have to reassure Mr. Trump,” Legault said as he arrived for morning question period at the legislature. “We have to do more on the borders. Mr. Trudeau must not try to deny the problem (exists).
“It’s important to secure the borders in both directions,” Legault said. “We don’t want a new wave of immigrants (entering Quebec). It’s important that Mr. Trudeau table a plan to reassure Mr. Trump.
“Mr. Trump says he’s going to impose 25 per cent tariffs because he is not satisfied with what Canada is doing with the border. We need to rapidly remove this argument.”
Such tariffs would have a devastating impact on the Quebec and Canadian economies, Legault said Wednesday. At risk are thousands of jobs connected to exports, including those in the aluminum, forestry, agricultural and aerospace industries.
On his way into question period, Immigration Minister Jean-François Roberge said he, too, finds the border situation very worrisome and Trump’s threat to deport immigrants could affect Quebec.
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“These threats of expulsion create insecurity. It motivates people who want to flee and come here,” Roberge said.
He said the Safe Third Country Agreement between Canada and the United States will protect Quebec somewhat from a massive influx, but Ottawa has to assume its responsibility and secure the border anyway.
“The border is vast, but they must act,” Roberge said. “They must add all the necessary personnel. There is an obligation for results.
“Quebec has done more than its share” in welcoming and caring for asylum seekers, he said. “The federal government itself says it, PM Trudeau has said it, (Immigration Minister) Marc Miller has said it.
“Quebec has done more than its share. We can’t do more than our part. As we say in bon Québécois, there’s a limit. Ottawa must have effective means to ensure people don’t cross.”
Later, however, Public Security Minister François Bonnardel told the media that police reports say there has been no unusual movement so far at Quebec’s borders.
“For the moment, there is nothing abnormal at the border in terms of irregular entry,” Bonnardel said. “We are following the situation closely.
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“It’s clear it’s worrisome — the premier mentioned it. We can’t sit back and wait for a possible influx of immigrants. We have to stay sharp, be ready. And Ottawa has to take the situation very, very seriously.”
Regarding Trump saying he wants to prevent drugs like fentanyl from entering the U.S., Bonnardel said drugs might be an issue in other provinces but have not been an issue at Quebec’s crossings.
“The significant problem we have at the border is weapons trafficking,” Bonnardel said. “They are weapons above all that are coming from the United States toward Quebec.
“When Mr. Trump mentions this, yes, he is right to a certain extent, but it does not affect Quebec.
“It’s more of concern to western provinces.”
He did not elaborate on the possible addition of new tools to patrol the borders.
“For now, we will fight to protect the borders with the tools we have,” he said. “Could we go further in the future? We will follow up.”
Last week, Legault also discussed the border situation, saying Quebec cannot afford to have a Roxham Road 2.0 situation on its hands. He made the comment in announcing the Sûreté du Québec will begin to patrol the border with the United States to back up the RCMP.
Meanwhile, the Fédération des chambres de commerce du Québec released the results Wednesday of two polls of its members’ reactions to the threat of tariffs. The poll showed 60 per cent of its 40,000 members believe they would be negatively affected by Trump’s tariffs.
A total of 58 per cent of companies polled said they do not feel they are sufficiently equipped to face the economic turbulence that could follow Trump’s policies.
“Knowing that 75 per cent of Quebec goods are destined for the United States, the imposition of tariffs will lead to a drop of Quebec exports,” federation president Véronique Proulx said. “We expect both levels of government to be proactive. A war on tariffs must be avoided.”
