The Saskatchewan government is sending 16 provincial law enforcement officers to the Canada-U. S. border to shore up security, Premier Scott Moe announced Tuesday.
Moe said the officers are to patrol high-priority areas north of the border, equipped with a mobile command unit, licence plate readers, drones, snowmobiles, all-terrain vehicles and three planes.
He said the announcement is partly in response to border security concerns raised by incoming president-elect Donald Trump, who has also threatened to impose a 25 per cent tariff on Canadian goods.
“If our largest trading partner has identified the 49th parallel and border security as a challenge, then that’s a conversation we need to partake in,” Moe said.
He added the province also needs to deal with illegal migrants, drugs and firearms coming into the province.
“We have a vested interest in stopping that and working with our Canadian government and making the investments to better equip and to enhance the work that our Canadian border security officials are doing,” he said.
“I think this province very much is of the attitude that where we can, we’re going to do what we can to take care of ourselves.”
The 16 officers are to be drawn from the province’s conservation, highway patrol and canine-handler teams.
They won’t assume federal responsibilities and are to only complement enforcement efforts to protect the border from domestic and international threats.
Moe said Saskatchewan is prepared to mobilize up to 95 officers if something unexpected happens, including when dealing with large volumes of drugs or an influx of migrants.
Trump has promised to begin deporting undocumented immigrants as soon as he takes office next week, a move some worry could lead to a spike in asylum seekers at Canada’s border.
“Depending on some of the policy initiatives south of the 49th parallel, we feel we need to be prepared, work with our federal government and support, advise and help them with the investment they’re making,” Moe said.
“We have the structures in place. This (investment) will just have a little larger focus in that area down around the 49th parallel as we enter uncertain times.”
He added the province is exploring whether to take additional action, including creating a border integrity policing team with the new Saskatchewan Marshals Service. It also may broaden the mandate of the RCMP’s Saskatchewan Trafficking Response Teams.
Saskatchewan is the latest province to enhance border security after Trump raised it as a concern.
Quebec announced Tuesday it’s deploying six officers to the U.S. to fight organized crime near the border. They are to work with a unit that’s co-ordinated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Last month, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said her province is putting $29 million toward a sheriff patrol unit, which includes 50 armed officers, 10 drones and four drug detection dogs. It is to be operational early this year.
The federal government has also promised a $1.3-billion border security plan that includes additional surveillance and targeting organized crime.
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