Cartel activity in Canada ‘very prevalent now,’ former Trudeau advisor says – National

Organized crime cartel activity is “very prevalent now” compared to at least a decade ago, says a former national security advisor to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and listing those groups as terrorist organizations may help prevent a “national crisis.”

Jody Thomas says the government’s move to list seven transnational criminal organizations, including multiple drug cartels, as terrorist entities under the Criminal Code will give law enforcement more tools to go after cartel-affiliated criminal groups in Canada — particularly their finances — that will be “enormously helpful.”

“Organized crime, no matter what shape it takes, is a threat to us, and we’re seeing an increase in it,” she told Mercedes Stephenson in an interview that aired Sunday on The West Block.

“I would say that 10, 15, 20 years ago, we would not have used the word cartel with regard to activity in Canada, but it’s very prevalent now. It’s becoming a problem and we have an opportunity here to get a grip on it before it becomes a national crisis.”

A recent Criminal Intelligence Service Canada report said organized crime groups involved in manufacturing fentanyl operate mostly in British Columbia and Ontario. Beyond those provinces, crime groups engage in distribution and trafficking, and increasingly rely on street gangs and outlaw motorcycle gangs, the report said.

While cocaine remains the most common drug market for organized crime groups in Canada, the report found involvement in fentanyl has increased by 42 per cent since 2019. Many crime groups are actively engaged with Latin American drug cartels to facilitate drug shipments and have linked with American groups in the trafficking of firearms into Canada, according to the report.

Thomas noted that Canada has seen increases not just in fentanyl production, seizures and overdoses in recent years, but also in gun violence and gang-affiliated violence.

She said the terrorist listings will allow RCMP and other agencies like Fintrac to track down Canadian financial contributors and suppliers to those transnational cartels and crime groups, crippling their networks.

The cartel terrorist listings were among several border security measures Canada agreed to in talks with U.S. President Donald Trump, who threatened sweeping tariffs on Canadian goods unless Ottawa did more to tackle migrant crossings and fentanyl trafficking into the U.S.

Trudeau and other Canadian officials say progress has already been made on those issues, which the prime minister relayed to Trump in a call on Saturday.

Thomas said the change in tone from the U.S. under the Trump administration, which has made several demands from Canada and other allies to boost security and defence spending while pursuing “reciprocal” trade policies, makes it critical for Canada to prioritize its own security.

“I think what is important in all of this — whether we’re talking about economic security, environmental security, national security or defense — is building Canadian resilience,” she said.

“Our national security is also dependent on our economic security,” she added, pointing to the need to diversify international trade and reduce internal trade barriers.

Canada must also show it can be an indispensable partner in Arctic security for the U.S. and NATO, Thomas said, which makes it “enormously important” to quickly reach NATO’s target of spending at least two per cent of GDP on defence.

“The time is now,” she said. “Confidence is the key word in all of this. We need our allies to be confident that Canada is a reliable partner – we always have been – we will be going forward.”

Until that’s demonstrated, Thomas believes there will be a threat posed by the U.S., particularly as Trump talks about annexing Canada and making it the 51st state.

“I don’t believe there’s a physical security threat. I think there’s an economic security threat,” she said.

However, she added, “He’s talking about the 51st state, but the threats to Europe are perhaps greater than the bombast about Canada,” pointing to Trump’s recent hostility toward Ukraine and diplomatic outreach to Russia.

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