Sam Cooper

Late Tuesday, Justin Trudeau’s administration appointed former RCMP deputy commissioner Kevin Brosseau as Canada’s new “fentanyl czar”—a role created as part of a last-minute deal to avert a major trade war with the United States.

As the government’s lead on the file, Brosseau is tasked with working closely with U.S. counterparts and law enforcement agencies to “accelerate Canada’s ongoing work to detect, disrupt, and dismantle the fentanyl trade,” according to a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office.

“The scourge of fentanyl must be wiped from the face of the Earth, its production must be shut down, and its profiteers must be punished,” the statement continued.

Brosseau, who recently served as deputy national security and intelligence adviser to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, reportedly brings extensive experience in drug enforcement and organized crime investigations.

“His demonstrated expertise tackling drug trafficking, organized crime networks, and other national security threats will bring tremendous value to this position,” the government statement added.

Financial Fallout: Banks Face Heightened Scrutiny

While the Fentanyl Czar is a major pillar of Trudeau’s promised plan, the most controversial measures are yet to come, including a plan to designate cartels as terrorist organizations. Experts believe that this move could have sweeping impacts on Canada’s financial sector.

Canadian banks, which have long faced criticism for weak anti-money laundering enforcement, may soon face heightened scrutiny, stricter compliance measures, and increased risk exposure. The new designation could lead to U.S. law enforcement aggressively tracking cartel-linked transactions in Canada, with potential repercussions for financial institutions that fail to act.

The Fentanyl Czar appointment is part of a broader $1.3 billion border security plan, which includes:

• New helicopters and advanced surveillance technology
• Increased personnel at critical border points
• Closer coordination with U.S. agencies to disrupt fentanyl trafficking

“I just had a good call with President Trump,” Trudeau wrote on February 3, announcing that his administration had secured a temporary reprieve from U.S. trade penalties. “Nearly 10,000 frontline personnel are and will be working on protecting the border.”

Trudeau also outlined plans to:

• Designate cartels as terrorist organizations
• Implement 24/7 surveillance of high-risk border crossings
• Launch a Canada–U.S. Joint Strike Force targeting organized crime and money laundering
• Sign a new $200 million intelligence directive focused on fentanyl

With Trump’s sweeping 25% tariffs on Canadian exports still looming, the coming weeks will test whether Ottawa’s promised fentanyl crackdown satisfies Washington—or if Canada’s financial institutions and urban real estate markets, deeply exposed to fentanyl money laundering according to U.S. and Canadian experts, become the next battleground.

More to come.