On Saturday, President Trump hit Canada and Mexico with a hefty 25% tariff on all goods, and, predictably, both countries fired back with their own retaliatory measures. Sure, they felt the need to put on a show of defiance, but let’s be honest—this won’t end well for them.

I’ve noticed social media is flooded with outrage, particularly from Canadians whining about the tariffs and taking shots at Trump and the U.S. However, they fail to see the wider picture. There’s a far simpler path for Canada to end the tariff war, and the answer is right there in Trump’s own executive orders: they need to enhance border security and enforcement. That’s it.

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By ramping up their border security protocols, they can prevent the trafficking of illicit drugs heading into the United States. It’s literally right there in Trump’s executive order.

But wait, isn’t the drug problem a southern border issue? Yes, but not entirely.

“Canada has played a central role in these challenges, including by failing to devote sufficient attention and resources or meaningfully coordinate with United States law enforcement partners to effectively stem the tide of illicit drugs,” Trump explained. 

The challenges at our southern border are foremost in the public consciousness, but our northern border is not exempt from these issues. Criminal networks are implicated in human trafficking and smuggling operations, enabling unvetted illegal migration across our northern border. There is also a growing presence of Mexican cartels operating fentanyl and nitazene synthesis labs in Canada.

[…]

With respect to smuggling of illicit drugs across our northern border, Canada’s Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre recently published a study on the laundering of proceeds of illicit synthetic opioids, which recognized Canada’s heightened domestic production of fentanyl, largely from British Columbia, and its growing footprint within international narcotics distribution. Despite a North American dialogue on the public health impacts of illicit drugs since 2016, Canadian officials have acknowledged that the problem has only grown. And while U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) within the Department of Homeland Security seized, comparatively, much less fentanyl from Canada than from Mexico last year, fentanyl is so potent that even a very small parcel of the drug can cause many deaths and destruction to America families. In fact, the amount of fentanyl that crossed the northern border last year could kill 9.5 million Americans.

And the key to ending the tariffs? Well, here it is in black and white:

“The Secretary of Homeland Security shall inform the President of any circumstances that, in the opinion of the Secretary of Homeland Security, indicate that the Government of Canada has taken adequate steps to alleviate this public health crisis through cooperative enforcement actions,” the order states. “Upon the President’s determination of sufficient action to alleviate the crisis, the tariffs described in section 2 of this order shall be removed.”

While retaliatory tariffs may seem like a courageous stand to Canada’s leaders, by simply following the executive order put forth by Trump and implementing robust measures to secure their borders and tackle illegal drug trafficking, the tariffs will be lifted. 

From where I sit, the question shouldn’t be “Why did Trump impose these tariffs?” but rather, “Why won’t Canada enhance border security and target drug cartels operating within their borders?”

If they really don’t want to escalate a trade war, they can end it by taking decisive action, which they should be taking anyway, not for the sake of just U.S. citizens, but Canadian citizens as well.

So, why not do it?