On July 31, the Trump administration announced that it would raise tariffs on Canadian imports to 35 percent, citing Canada’s failure to meaningfully address the growing use of its territory by fentanyl traffickers.

Canada’s response has been fractured. Federal officials called for renewed dialogue, while Ontario Premier Doug Ford demanded retaliatory tariffs.

If that sounds like an overreaction from the U.S., it’s not. It’s a reaction to a real and mounting problem: Cartels are using Canada — not in theory, but in practice. Fentanyl super-labs have been discovered in British Columbia. Precursor chemicals from China are entering Canadian ports before making their way into domestic markets or rerouted across the U.S. border.

The numbers are still small compared to the southern border. Fentanyl seizures along the northern corridor comprise less than 1 percent of total U.S. interdictions, but they’re rising.

And while the raw volume was low, the potency was not. According to White House estimates, the fentanyl seized from Canada in the past year was sufficient to kill more than

© The Hill