Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is appointing his deputy national security advisor to become Canada’s first fentanyl czar.
On Tuesday, the Prime Minister’s Office announced that Kevin Brosseau will be appointed to the role of fentanyl czar to disrupt the domestic and international fentanyl trade in Canada.
The appointment of the new role combatting the deadly opioid crisis comes after Trudeau and U.S. President Donald Trump reached an agreement to pause America’s imposition of a 25-per-cent tariff on Canadian goods.
“As Fentanyl Czar, Mr. Brosseau will work closely with U.S. counterparts and law enforcement agencies to accelerate Canada’s ongoing work to detect, disrupt, and dismantle the fentanyl trade,” reads the PMO’s statement.
Brosseau is a former senior officer for the RCMP, rising up the ranks to become Manitoba’s deputy commissioner of the service in 2016. He left policing in 2019 to become a senior public servant, serving as the assistant deputy minister for Transport Canada and then the associate deputy minister of Fisheries in 2022.
In Oct. 2024, Brosseau was appointed as Trudeau’s deputy national security and intelligence advisor and deputy cabinet secretary for emergency preparedness.
The PMO statement says that in his role as deputy national security and intelligence advisor, Brosseau demonstrated expertise in dealing with organized crime and drug trafficking networks.
“Mr. Brosseau navigated Canada’s most sensitive security challenges. His demonstrated expertise tackling drug trafficking, organized crime networks, and other national security threats will bring tremendous value to this position,” said Trudeau.
The choice of Brosseau is a departure from the recommendations of two of Canada’s most vocal premiers on border security.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith recommended her Deputy Minister, Paul Wynnyk, a former lieutenant-general who served in the army for 38 years, as border czar. And Ontario Premier Doug Ford also went with a military option, calling on former Chief of the Defence Staff Rick Hillier for the position.
Last week, Trump issued a moratorium on sanctions on Canadian goods after a conversation with Trudeau in which the prime minister touted his government’s $1.3-billion plan to reinforce the border and promised to appoint a fentanyl czar to deal with the crisis.
