Business
Ottawa Appoints Former Trudeau Intelligence Adviser as “Fentanyl Czar”
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.
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From LifeSiteNews
The decision was otherwise roundly condemned on X as “horrific,” “horrendous,” the hallmark of a “dictatorship,” and even “the biggest breach of privacy Western civilization has ever seen.”
Apple Store on New York’s Fifth Avenue.
Apple pulled its highest-level security feature in the U.K. after the government ordered the company to give it access to user data.
The U.K. government demanded “blanket access” to all user accounts around the world rather than to specific ones, a move unprecedented in major democracies, according to The Washington Post.
The security tool at issue in the U.K. is Advanced Data Protection (ADP), which provides end-to-end encryption so that only owners of particular data – and reportedly not even Apple – can access it.
“Apple can no longer offer Advanced Data Protection (ADP) in the United Kingdom to new users and current UK users will eventually need to disable this security feature,” an Apple spokesman said.
According to Apple, the removal of ADP will not affect iCloud data types that are end-to-end encrypted by default such as iMessage and FaceTime.
The nine iCloud categories that will reportedly no longer have ADP protection are iCloud Backup, iCloud Drive, Photos, Notes, Reminders, Safari Bookmarks, Siri Shortcuts, Voice Memos, Wallet Passes, and Freeform.
These types of data will be covered only by standard data protection, the default setting for accounts.
Journalist and Twitter Files whistleblower Michael Schellenberger slammed the U.K.-initiated move as “totalitarian.”
The decision was otherwise roundly condemned on X as “horrific,” “horrendous,” the hallmark of a “dictatorship,” and even “the biggest breach of privacy Western civilization has ever seen.”
Elon Musk declared Friday that such a privacy breach “would have happened in America” if President Donald Trump had not been elected.
Jake Moore, global cybersecurity adviser at ESET, commented that the move marks “a huge step backwards in the protection of privacy online.”
“Creating a backdoor for ethical reasons means it will inevitably only be a matter of time before threat actors also find a way in,” Moore said.
Britain reportedly made the privacy invasion demand under the authority of the Investigatory Powers Act of 2016.
MxM News
Quick Hit:
Elon Musk made a dramatic appearance at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) on Thursday, wielding a chromed-out chainsaw gifted by Argentina’s President Javier Milei. The prop symbolized Musk’s commitment to slashing bureaucratic red tape through his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Key Details:
- Musk received the chainsaw from Milei before his sit-down interview at CPAC in Maryland.
- The chainsaw was engraved with Milei’s catchphrase, “Viva la libertad carajo!” which translates to “Long live freedom, Goddammit!”
- Musk brandished the chainsaw on stage, declaring it the “chainsaw for bureaucracy” to a cheering conservative crowd.
Diving Deeper:
Argentina’s President Javier Milei presented the symbolic chainsaw to Elon Musk ahead of his interview at CPAC, reinforcing their shared vision of reducing governmental influence. The chainsaw, emblazoned with Milei’s signature slogan, was meant to represent Musk’s mission with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to cut waste, fraud, and abuse within federal agencies.
Musk enthusiastically accepted the gift and held it aloft, declaring it the “chainsaw for bureaucracy.” The bold gesture was well-received by the conservative audience, with Musk adding a simple yet effective rallying cry: “Chainsaw!” The theatrics were in line with his commitment to DOGE’s mission of downsizing federal bureaucracy, drawing inspiration from Milei’s aggressive government-cutting measures in Argentina.
Milei’s fiscal conservatism has gained international attention, influencing Musk’s approach to DOGE. The Argentine president’s radical budget cuts and advocacy for limited government resonate with Musk’s goals for the United States. By symbolically passing the chainsaw to Musk, Milei reinforced a partnership rooted in economic freedom and governmental reform.
Musk later posted a photo of himself with the chainsaw on his social media platform, X, captioning it, “This is a real picture,” underscoring his commitment to his bureaucratic overhaul agenda. The image quickly went viral, amplifying the message of aggressive government reform.
The bold display at CPAC not only solidified Musk’s role as a disruptor within the political landscape but also strengthened the ideological bond between Musk and Milei, signaling an international alliance against government inefficiency.
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