By developer 
Prime Minister Mark Carney announced plans this month to hire 1,000 additional Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers, a move that appears to be a direct response to President Donald Trump’s demands for tougher action on cross-border fentanyl trafficking.
The plan, part of Budget 2025, allocates $1.8 billion over four years to strengthen federal policing. Of the new hires, 150 positions will be dedicated to combating money laundering, organized crime, and online fraud, both of which are issues linked to transnational drug networks, including those producing and smuggling fentanyl.
The timing of Carney’s announcement, coming amid escalating US tariffs, is no coincidence. Trump has tied trade penalties directly to Canadian progress in halting the flow of fentanyl into the United States.
On Wednesday, Democrats in the Senate, along with Sen. Lisa Murkowski and three Republicans, tried to end the tariffs on Canada, but their vote was largely symbolic.
As part of the June 2025 “Strong Borders Act,” Trump’s administration has demanded measurable action: tougher border enforcement, joint operations with the DEA and RCMP, and proof that Canada is addressing drug trafficking through organized networks.
While Carney’s government insists the hiring surge is a domestic initiative, bilateral meetings tell a different story. US border czar Tom Homan was briefed on the plan earlier this month, and Trump himself publicly acknowledged Canada’s “good progress” – though he has not yet lifted the tariffs.
Despite the announcement, Conservative MPs have noted that not a single new RCMP position had been filled as of mid-October, questioning whether the move is more political optics than operational readiness.
On social media, many Canadians accused Carney of “too little, too late,” arguing that the fentanyl crisis has worsened under Liberal rule.
Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree denied that the expansion was reactive to Trump’s pressure, claiming it reflects Canada’s own priorities for “community safety.” But the overlap with Trump demands is hard to miss.
Even Carney’s supporters admit the move may help ease tensions with Washington as the White House weighs whether to maintain steep tariffs on Canadian goods, which Trump has said are “tied to compliance” on fentanyl enforcement.
Canada’s RCMP expansion may not be called a “surrender,” but in practice, it’s exactly what Trump has been demanding for two years: stronger policing, stricter borders, and accountability on fentanyl.
Suzanne Downing