Implementation Update

Executive Summary

• Canada’s comprehensive, whole-of-government response to the fentanyl crisis is producing measurable results.
• Our response targets all sides of the crisis: advancing and passing key legislation, working with U.S. partners to tighten border security, disrupting criminal networks and precursor supply chains, funding prevention, treatment, recovery, and other community-based supports, and driving coordinated action through strong and sustainable partnerships.
• These efforts are delivering results for Canadians:
  • A 23% decline in opioid-related deaths from January 2025 to December 2025^{Footnote 1}, alongside declining opioid-related poisoning hospitalizations.
  • Over the last year:
    • the seizure of approximately 1.37 kg of fentanyl at the border by the Canada Border Services Agency
    • the seizure of 134.65 kg of fentanyl across the country by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
    • 4,930 charges and arrests involving fentanyl or fentanyl analogues
• This Implementation Update tracks progress and results under three themes: targeting organized crime and illegal supply chains, supporting communities most affected by the crisis, and strengthening data, surveillance, and results monitoring. It also provides a concrete list of next steps.

Targeting Organized Crime

The illegal fentanyl trade is dominated by sophisticated transnational criminal networks that adapt quickly to enforcement changes and pressures. Canada's response has matched that complexity by tightening the Canada-U.S. border, disrupting the flow of precursors, strengthening port security, enhancing law enforcement posture, and following the money.

Tightened the Canada-U.S. Border

Through the $1.3 billion Border Plan, Canada has strengthened its frontline capacity, surveillance, and interdiction. U.S. Customs and Border Protection data continues to show that about 0.1% of fentanyl seizures occur in the Northern Border region of the U.S.

• Deployed new border surveillance tools: Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) has deployed mobile scanners at ports of entry, while the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) has expanded drone use along the border, stood up the RCMP Aerial Intelligence Task Force with Blackhawk helicopters, drones, and mobile surveillance towers, and launched a counter-drone pilot with U.S. Homeland Security Investigations in Niagara. These tools are increasing Canada’s ability to detect and intercept fentanyl, other drugs, and precursor chemicals before they cross the border. Between April 2025 and June 2026, the CBSA seized approximately 1.37 kg of fentanyl at the border.

• Expanded frontline capacity: Hiring is underway for 1,000 new CBSA personnel and 1,000 new RCMP personnel to deepen federal capacity to disrupt and investigate cross-border threats and further bolster Federal Policing capacity. As of August 2026, CBSA has hired approximately 180 officers with another 140 in training at the CBSA College in Rigaud. RCMP hiring is ramping up under a three-year plan informed by a completed recruitment-reform review.

• Added fentanyl-detection capability at ports of entry: CBSA deployed its first detector dog teams specialized in fentanyl, adding to more than 80 detector dog units already operating at ports of entry. These capabilities contributed to more than 31,000 CBSA illegal drug seizures.

Disrupted the Flow of Precursors

• Secured leader-level precursor commitments for control and intelligence sharing: The Prime Minister secured commitments from China and India to strengthen precursor controls. In May 2026, China introduced new export controls on precursor chemicals destined for Canada, the U.S., and Mexico, while India agreed to law-enforcement liaison postings for real-time intelligence sharing on precursor diversion. Together, these commitments are strengthening international alignment and tightening controls at the source.

• Used enhanced precursor scheduling regime to block imports: Using new authorities under the recently passed Bill C-12 (Strengthening Canada’s Immigration System and Borders Act), Canada rapidly controlled one precursor chemical that can be used to produce illegal synthetic opioids and two synthetic opioids, which took effect June 5, 2026. This faster process helps Canada keep pace with an evolving drug market.

• Increased regulatory oversight: Health Canada strengthened oversight through amendments to the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act and Precursor Control Regulations (December 2025) to reduce the risk of diversion of precursor chemicals to the illegal market. These measures, now in effect, include new import controls for pill presses and their component parts, and new reporting requirements for licensed businesses that, in turn, support increased, targeted inspections of those handling high-risk precursor chemicals, including fentanyl precursors.

Strengthened Marine Port Security

• Expanded maritime enforcement capacity: Bill C-12 equipped the Canadian Coast Guard with new authorities to support maritime drug-trafficking investigations, closing long-standing marine-security gaps and enabling partners to collect, analyze, and share intelligence targeting organized crime along Canada’s coasts and waterways.

• Aligned enforcement resources at the Port of Vancouver: The Integrated Waterfront Joint Forces Operation has been reinvigorated at the Port of Vancouver, bringing the RCMP, CBSA, and municipal police into one coordinated model to target drug and precursor smuggling. The integrated presence closes jurisdictional gaps and makes one of Canada’s busiest ports harder for traffickers to exploit.

• Made port security a G7 priority: Through its G7 Presidency, Canada made port security a shared G7 priority, with G7 Leaders agreeing to a new G7+ Ports Network to Combat Drug Trafficking.

Enhanced Law Enforcement Posture

• Strengthened North American cooperation: Through the North American Joint Strike Force, Canadian and U.S. authorities are targeting fentanyl production and trafficking networks. Renewed engagement with Mexico and the North American Drug Dialogue secured commitments on border and postal security, firearms trafficking, and collaboration on wastewater surveillance.

• Expanded specialized enforcement teams: RCMP Integrated Synthetic Enforcement Teams have been established in all four Federal Policing regions, working with domestic and international partners. Public Safety’s Regional Integrated Drug Enforcement Teams (RIDETs) have been announced in Ontario and British Columbia, with expansion into additional provinces and territories being pursued. Investments in the Joint Operational Intelligence Cell (JOIC) strengthened information sharing among enforcement partners. These teams put specialized investigators closer to where synthetic drugs are produced and trafficked.

• Delivered intelligence‑driven enforcement results: Between April 2025 and June 2026, 4,930 charges and arrests involving fentanyl or fentanyl analogues were made by law enforcement in Canada, and the RCMP seized 134.65 kg of fentanyl across the country. Through the Canadian Integrated Response to Organized Crime (CIROC), law enforcement and partners from all three levels of government shared information and set priorities for operations against the highest-impact criminal networks. CIROC-led initiatives, including the National Fentanyl Sprint 2.0 in 2025, seized 386 kg of fentanyl, and over 270 kg of precursor chemicals, preventing these substances from entering the illegal drug supply. These efforts were part of broader activities targeting illegal drug trafficking, which resulted in the seizure of nearly 6,000 kg of cocaine and over 1,700 kg of methamphetamine. In addition, the new JOIC brought together security agencies and law enforcement partners to target transnational organized crime, money laundering, drug trafficking, and to improve border security.

• Strengthened criminal justice tools: Through Bill C-12, as well as Bill C-14 (Bail and Sentencing Reform Act) and Bill C-16 (Protecting Victims Act), Canada advanced measures to: support investigations and court processes, implement stricter bail and tougher sentencing, address illicit finance, and strengthen tools to dismantle drug-trafficking networks and strip them of proceeds of crime.

• Proposed modernized digital-access authorities: Organized crime increasingly operates in encrypted digital spaces. Bill C-22, proposed Lawful Access Act, would modernize Canada’s lawful access regime and give law enforcement updated tools for criminal and intelligence investigations. These authorities would help investigators keep pace with organized crime’s use of digital communications.

• Used terrorist listings to increase investigative tools: In February 2025, the Government of Canada listed seven transnational criminal organizations as terrorist entities under the Criminal Code. These organizations produce fentanyl, terrorize civilians, and conduct drug trafficking activities which pose a risk to Canada’s national security. The listings give law enforcement stronger tools to investigate, prosecute, freeze assets, disrupt financing, and pursue related terrorism offences against these organizations.

Followed the Money

• Increased financial intelligence capacity: The Spring Economic Update committed over $17 million over four years for the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC) to accelerate financial intelligence in support of investigations for significant predicate offences, including fentanyl trafficking. CBSA also launched a Trade Transparency Unit to detect trade-based money laundering. Together, these measures help rapidly turn suspicious flows of goods and funds tied to fentanyl into actionable intelligence.

• Advanced a dedicated Financial Crimes Agency: Bill C-29, the proposed Financial Crimes Agency Act, would establish a Financial Crimes Agency to investigate sophisticated financial crimes, including money laundering, serious fraud, and major capital market crimes, and to dismantle the financial structures of organized crime. This would enhance Canada’s investigation and enforcement capabilities in this complex area of criminal activity.

• Strengthened public‑private intelligence partnerships: Banks are essential partners in spotting criminal money. The Integrated Money Laundering Intelligence Partnership brings the RCMP together with Chief Anti-Money Laundering Officers from major financial institutions to support permissible sharing of money laundering and organized crime intelligence.

Tackled the Illegal Drug Crisis in Communities

• Invested in community‑driven solutions: Federal investments are supporting local prevention, treatment, recovery, harm reduction, and gun and gang violence prevention. Key funding includes Health Canada’s $150 million Emergency Treatment Fund and over $762 million Substance Use and Addictions Program, the Public Health Agency of Canada’s $12.9 million Youth Substance Use Prevention Program, and Public Safety Canada’s $157.5 million Building Safer Communities Fund. Targeted pilots in Ottawa, Winnipeg, Edmonton, and Victoria are testing locally adapted approaches to reduce social disorder, prevent crime, and strengthen community safety and resilience.

• Strengthened supports and care for vulnerable populations: Some groups face disproportionate harms, risks, and barriers to care. For those in the federal correctional system, Correctional Service Canada delivered tailored programming to help people leaving custody transition more seamlessly into provincial and territorial health care and other services, such as housing, employment supports, and community-based treatment. The Spring Economic Update announced $794 million to strengthen the Non-Insured Health Benefits Program, expanding access to mental-health counselling and related services for First Nations and Inuit people.

• Protected Indigenous and remote communities from drugs in the mail: Through proposed amendments to the Canada Post Corporation Act under Bill C-2 (Strong Borders Act), the Government of Canada has proposed new authorities for law enforcement, acting under judicial authorization, to intercept mail and courier shipments that contain illegal drugs. These measures are needed to stop fentanyl before it reaches communities across Canada, especially northern, remote, and Indigenous communities, which face heightened risk due to limited access to health and social services.

Measured What Matters

• Tracked a decline in death rates: Canada saw a 23% decline in opioid-related deaths from January 2025 to December 2025, alongside declining opioid-related poisoning hospitalizations. The Public Health Agency of Canada conducted national surveillance into the drivers of the decline, bringing together leading experts to analyze and explain the shift, and to inform policy action. Together, these initiatives strengthened understanding of the factors influencing recent trends, identified key evidence gaps, and highlighted opportunities for action on the toxic drug supply, upstream prevention, and community-led approaches.

• Enhanced forensic capabilities: New Canadian Drug Analysis Centre (CDAC) sites in Vancouver and Toronto launched in May 2026, complementing Health Canada’s existing Drug Analysis Service laboratories by providing specialized synthetic-drug analysis aligned with U.S. efforts. CDAC provides in-depth forensic analysis to identify links between samples to better understand how and where drugs are produced and distributed, giving law enforcement further insight into evolving synthetic drug markets.

• Expanded real‑time data for rapid response: The National Wastewater Drug Surveillance (NWDS) initiative now operates 64 collection sites across eight provinces and three territories, more than double the 30 participating sites in 2025, with a public dashboard reporting emerging-substance trends (updated quarterly).

• Combined data to see the full picture: No single data stream tells the whole story. Through the Canadian Drug and Substance Watch (CDSW), data from seizures, web monitoring, wastewater analysis, and other sources are integrated to provide a more comprehensive picture of illegal drug use in Canada. This multi-pronged approach can reveal shifts in the illegal drug supply earlier, helping manage the crisis rather than simply track its impacts.

What’s Next

With toxic drugs still claiming roughly 15 lives each day there is much more work to be done. A wide range of actions is already underway, and below are some key next steps that build on these robust efforts:  

• Further harden the border and expand enforcement: CBSA and the RCMP will continue recruitment and training efforts to reach 1,000 new personnel in each organization. Building on successes in Ontario and British Columbia, RIDET teams will be expanded into multiple provinces and territories. To further enhance security at Canadian marine and air ports of entry, Transport Canada has launched public consultations on proposed changes to strengthen transportation security clearances for certain transportation employees. Changes to the Transportation Security Clearance Program are intended to close potential public security gaps across transportation gateways in Canada.

• Stop precursors through international collaboration and better tracking: Canada will continue to work with several countries, including the U.S. and Mexico through the North American Drug Dialogue and other operational mechanisms, to stop the illegal precursor trade. By fall 2026, CBSA will improve fentanyl precursor tracking. In 2027, Canada will deepen narcotics cooperation with China, including through the Law Enforcement Working Group.

• Enhance Canada’s public safety, national security, and criminal justice frameworks: In fall 2026, we will resume moving Bill C-22 and Bill C-29 through Parliament to become law, which will modernize lawful access and stand up the Financial Crimes Agency. We will also explore new criminal justice reforms to support the investigation and prosecution of complex financial crimes.

• Use data to stay one step ahead: We will strengthen and expand our early warning systems and surveillance capabilities through the NWDS and the CDSW to improve our ability to predict shifts in the illegal drug supply and stay one step ahead in planning health and security responses. Canada will also continue to update its public-facing Fight Against Fentanyl data dashboard every quarter, and by winter 2026 will develop performance measures for success.