A look inside Canada’s last-minute efforts to avert Trump’s steep tariffs

Read the Full Transcript

• John Yang:

  President Trump says his 25 percent tariff on imports from Canada will go into effect on Tuesday, despite the efforts of Canadian officials who've been trying to persuade their American counterparts that they are working on border securities and have improved it.

  David McGuinty is Canada's Minister of public Safety. This week he's been in Washington meeting with administration officials. I want to remind people the reason President Trump says he's opposing these tariffs. He posted this on Truth Social. He said drugs are still pouring into our country from Mexico and Canada at very high and unacceptable levels until it stops or is seriously limited. The proposed tariff scheduled to go into effect on March 4th will indeed go into effect. What do you say to that?

  David McGuinty, Minister of Public Safety, Canada: I think what we say is we've had a wonderful four days here in Washington, D.C. meeting with our counterparts, both folks in the Senate, the House. I brought down the head of our Canada Border Services Agency, brought down the head of our RCMP, brought down our new fentanyl czar to meet with executives and folks in the White House, for example.

  So I think what we've been able to show this week is enormous progress on that border. And it's important for us to remember that a border is a two way street. We've made progress in terms of southern flowing problems, and we're making progress with the United States on northern flowing problems.

• John Yang:

  What's been the response to that? What do they say to that?

• David McGuinty:

  I think we're all encouraged because we're all remembering just the extent to which we're connected here. We have had a relationship that goes back 150 plus years, a very productive one, frankly, a special relationship between both our countries, not something that neither of us, I think, want to compromise.

  So I think what we're hearing back is thank you for bringing us up to speed. Thank you for showing us these practical measures. And there have been all kinds of those as I mentioned appointing a fentanyl czar, listing criminal cartels as terrorist organizations last week, a whole series of these measures which are really starting to kick in.

• John Yang:

  But in terms of meeting what the President says he wants, he says he either wants the fentanyl traffic either ended or seriously limited. Have they told you what seriously limited means?

• David McGuinty:

  We know what seriously limited means. It means as little as possible if no fentanyl, because fentanyl is a terrible scourge wreaking havoc in both of our countries. There are some days on a per capita basis, there are more Canadians dying from fentanyl and opiate overdoses than the United States.

  So we understand this, we get this. We also know that we cannot wrestle the fentanyl crisis to the ground unless we do it together.

• John Yang:

  Looking at the statistics, there's very little compared to the southern border. Very little comes in over the northern border.

• David McGuinty:

  Less than 1 percent of fentanyl entering United States comes from Canada. Less than 1 percent of illegal immigration in the United States comes from Canada. But there's more to be done. And I think this week was a very good series of meetings for us to share the improvements and to see where we can continue to cooperate.

• John Yang:

  As you say, the Canadian fentanyl czar, Kevin Brousseau, was on your delegation. His appointment is one of the things that helped President Trump decide to delay these tariffs at the beginning of February.

  How was he received? What was he able to tell them about what he's done since he's been in that job and how was it received?

• David McGuinty:

  I think it was very well received in the sense that the administration and politicians and others understand that this fentanyl crisis is a whole of society problem. It's not just law enforcement. It's not just chemistry and tracking and tracing precursors, for example, from other parts of the world. It's many factors, many players together.

  And Kevin Brosseau's job, the fentanyl czar's job in Canada is to help integrate all of those responses so we can really wrestle us to the ground. You know, just last week we convened six of Canada top banks to strike a new agreement on tracking and tracing money flows, finding out how folks are money laundering through our banks, engaging the private sector.

  When we listed these cartels as terrorist organizations, we've given our law enforcement now more powers to interrupt the flow of money and really to go after the money and to seize assets, even assets of those who cooperate with these groups.

• John Yang:

  Well, you talk about the fentanyl problem, that it's got to be worked on both sides. Is this a bit like the drug situation a few years ago, that it's not so much the supply as it is the demand?

• David McGuinty:

  It's both. It's both. And it's wreaking havoc on our communities right across both of our countries, which is why we're here to indicate the degree to which we're prepared and are cooperating. Another measure we just launched together is a new joint strike force. 10 new teams in the United States and Canada working together, more cooperation at the border, more cooperation in terms of tracking and technology. So these things we believe will really help wrestle the scourge to the ground.

• John Yang:

  Based on your meetings this week, is there any reason to hope or believe that these tariffs will be paused again, as they were at the beginning of February?

• David McGuinty:

  You know, one of the things I've learned a little while ago is we can only control what we can control. But the president of the United States and the new administration has said they had concerns about these issues. We've addressed them to the best of our ability.

• John Yang:

  Canadian Public Safety Minister David McGuinty, thank you very much.

• David McGuinty:

  Thank you very much.