Strengthening Canada’s Borders: 2025 in review

The Government of Canada implemented measures in 2025 to strengthen our borders that demonstrate a clear commitment to our national security and economic prosperity, while showing how a modern, unified approach can deliver results for all Canadians.

This past year, key federal government investments in technology, personnel, and cross-departmental coordination, fundamentally strengthened our frontline defences against evolving global threats. Whether stopping large numbers of illegal firearms and dangerous drugs from reaching our streets or collaborating with international partners to disrupt transnational organized crime, Canada's efforts were targeted to protect the safety and health of our communities.

These efforts played a key role in upholding the integrity of our borders and maintaining Canadian sovereignty, and highlight our ongoing cooperation with the United States in protecting our shared border. By using innovative and modern approaches, Canada is focusing on proactive, intelligence-led approaches to help ensure that Canada's border is resilient and adaptable in the face of complex and evolving security challenges.

As we move into 2026, the federal government remains committed to building on these tangible achievements, ensuring our nation is protected and our economy supported.

On this page

• Major milestones
• Keeping Canadians safe
• Building on success into 2026

Major milestones

December 2024

Canada's Border Plan: Canada announces concrete action to strengthen border security to keep communities safe. To support this work, an investment of $1.3B was announced.

February 2025

Appointment of Canada's Fentanyl Czar: The Prime Minister of Canada announces the appointment of Kevin Brosseau as Canada's Fentanyl Czar to be a focal point and drive coherence across the federal response to the fentanyl crisis.

Canada lists transnational criminal organizations as terrorist entities: Transnational criminal organizations, including cartels, play a leading role in the production and distribution of fentanyl throughout Canada. Canada listed several organizations as terrorist entities under the Criminal Code. Listing these organizations helps Canadian security, intelligence, and law enforcement agencies in combatting their crimes and making communities safer.

Operation Blizzard: Operation Blizzard was a month-long (February 12th to March 13th), cross-country surge operation to intercept fentanyl and other illegal drugs in postal, air cargo and marine containers. The CBSA made over 2,600 narcotics-related seizures nationwide. About 67.5% involved drugs entering Canada from the U.S., and 17.5% involved drugs going to the U.S.

Canada Schedules three fentanyl precursors and the drug carisoprodol: Health Canada rapidly controlled phenethyl bromide, propionic anhydride, benzyl chloride and carisoprodol to support oversight into precursor chemicals and their distribution channels and related law enforcement efforts.

National Fentanyl Sprint: Starting in December 2024, The Canadian Integrated Response to Organized Crime (CIROC) Committee composed of Federal, Provincial and Municipal law enforcement agencies, conducted a national month-long sprint aimed at disrupting illegal fentanyl production and distribution in Canada. This sprint resulted in 524 arrests and the seizure of 46.17 kg of fentanyl, and other large quantities of drugs. The operation showcased the commitment and coordination of law enforcement at all levels to combat fentanyl and other synthetic opioids in Canada.

Canada Launches the new intelligence sharing partnership on fentanyl trafficking other criminal use of funds: The Government of Canada convened the first working meeting of the new Integrated Money Laundering Intelligence Partnership (IMLIP). This partnership will enable the lawful exchange of intelligence on money.

March 2025

Launch of the Operational Intelligence Cell: The Government of Canada has officially launched the Joint Operational Intelligence Cell (JOIC), strengthen existing collaboration among law enforcement and security agencies to enhance information sharing and better combat transnational organized crime, money laundering, drug trafficking, and improve border security.

October 2025

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders Act (Bill C-12): Designed to address key immigration and border security challenges, this legislation aims to disrupt transnational organized crime, enhance the fight against fentanyl, strengthen border security, crack down on money laundering, and improve our immigration system. Bill C-12 was adopted by the House of Commons on December 11, 2025, and will next be considered by the Senate.

November 2025

Budget 2025: Announced measures to ensure Canada can adapt and respond to emerging threats, such as cross-border smuggling of illegal guns and drugs, including fentanyl and its precursor chemicals. Key actions to respond to these threats included the establishment of a new Financial Crimes Agency, as well as the hiring of 1,000 additional RCMP personnel and 1,000 new CBSA officers. Budget 2025 also announced funding to support the opening of new preclearance facilities in Canada.

Hosted G7 Interior and Security Ministers' Meeting: Canada welcomed G7 Interior and Security Ministers, bringing together G7 counterparts and other guests to discuss global safety and security challenges and strengthen international collaboration. Discussions focused, among other things, on transnational organized crime and on migrant smuggling.

December 2025

National Fentanyl Sprint 2.0: Twenty-one Canadian law enforcement and government partners collaborated for five months on the National Fentanyl Sprint 2.0, coordinated by Canadian Integrated Response to Organized Crime (CIROC). The initiative seized 386 kg of fentanyl, other illicit drugs, and led to 8,136 arrests and charges. Sprint 2.0 carried out financial investigations, recognizing that dismantling the economic foundations of organized crime is critical to deterrence and long-term success.

National Wastewater Drug Surveillance Dashboard: Health Canada announces the launch of a new public dashboard, providing in-depth information on the emergence of illegal drugs in Canada, including data on fentanyl and its analogues, as well as drug metabolites and precursor.

Keeping Canadians safe

Throughout 2025, the Government of Canada's border-strengthening measures led to measurable actions and delivered concrete results that make our communities safer and our economy more resilient.

From historic drug seizures and reduced illegal crossings to the deployment of cutting-edge surveillance technologies, the collective efforts of thousands of frontline officers and experts working across departments delivered high-impact enforcement operations and modern program delivery this year.

Impact by the numbers

• Southbound illegal crossings:
  • Down 98% since June 2024.
• Asylum claims:
  • Down by a third (Jan–Sept 2025 vs. the previous year).
• Removals:
  • Between January 1 and October 31, 2025, nearly 19,000 foreign nationals were removed from Canada for violating the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA). Of these, 841 were subject to serious inadmissibility (national security, organized crime, human rights violations, and criminality).
• Fentanyl seizures:
  • Over 1,000 lb of fentanyl intercepted through combined operations
• Money laundering:
  • Under the Integrated Money Laundering Intelligence Partnership, most production orders to Canada's Domestic Systemically Important Banks (DSIBs) are processed within 7 days, accelerating financial crime investigations.
  • The CBSA made more than 170 Level 4 currency seizures (suspicion of money laundering), totaling close to $3.5 million under the Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Act in the past year. The Agency also launched the Trade Transparency Unit to improve its capacity to detect and disrupt cross-border movements of illicit financial flows through international trade, and introduced new regulatory authorities to enforce importer and exporter compliance.
• Flagpoling:
  • Cases dropped 97% following the December 2024 following the end of flagpoling at ports of entry.

Combatting fentanyl and organized crime

• Addressing supply and demand
  • Appointed a Fentanyl Czar to drive multi-agency action and integrate the work
• Listed several terrorist entities including transnational crime organizations such as cartels
• From January 1 to October 31, 2025, the CBSA, seized:
  • 2.6 kg of fentanyl
  • 3,243 kg of cocaine
  • 87 kg of heroin
  • 1,703 kg of methamphetamine
  • 24,833 kg of other drugs, narcotics and precursor chemicals
  • 922 kg of other opioids (including opium, methadone, morphine and morphine base)
  • over 42,400 kg of cannabis and 783,424 kg of undeclared tobacco, preventing millions of dollars in revenue evasion and combatting organized crime.
• Major operations:
  • CIROC-led Fentanyl Sprints, with participation from Canadian law enforcement, yielded:
    • Over 430 kg of fentanyl;
    • Over $13 million in cash seized, which criminals rely on;
    • Over 250 kilograms of precursor chemicals.
  • CBSA's Operation Meridian disrupted the import and export of illicit narcotics through commercial channels at ports of entry across Southern Ontario
    • Over 724 kg of narcotics kept out of communities.
  • CBSA's Operation Blizzard was a month-long cross-country surge operation to intercept fentanyl and other illegal drugs in postal, air cargo and marine containers.
    • Seized 1.73 kg of fentanyl and 59.73 kg of other narcotics.
• New enforcement teams:
  • Created and implemented four domestic Regional Integrated Synthetic Enforcement Teams (BC, Calgary, GTA, Montreal) to disrupt networks, with two more planned for Ontario and Alberta.
  • Funding announced to establish a Regional Integrated Drug Enforcement Team in British Columbia, while Canada explores the possibility for more.
• Financial crime:
  • Announced the intent to create a new Financial Crimes Agency
  • Launched the new Integrated Money Laundering Intelligence Partnership to significantly improve information sharing on illicit financial activity.
• Precursor chemicals:
  • Health Canada accelerated regulatory processes to ban precursor chemicals giving police and border services officers new tools to stop illegal drug production
    • In February 2025, the Government of Canada temporarily controlled 3 fentanyl precursors and the drug carisoprodol.
  • Health Canada launched the Precursor Chemical Risk Management Unit and the Canadian Drug Analysis Center, both of which support law and border enforcement to stop the production and importation of illegal drugs and precursors and provide crucial intelligence to target organized crime.
  • Regulatory changes were introduced to increase oversight of precursor chemicals and certain drug manufacturing equipment (e.g., pill presses).

Strengthening immigration integrity

• Screening and visas:
  • Introduced stronger visa screening protocols; temporary resident visa refusal rate is now 51% (up from 39% in 2023).
• Ending loopholes:
  • Ending flagpoling for work and study permits allows border officers to focus on what they have been expertly trained to do — border enforcement
• Information sharing:
  • Enhanced immigration information-sharing with the U.S.

New technology and surveillance assets

• Air support:
  • Deployed three Black Hawk helicopters and tactical drones.
  • Between January and October, the RCMP Black Hawks logged 2,680 flight hours, covered 234,000 km of the border.
• Ground surveillance:
  • Deployed mobile surveillance systems (trailers, radars, thermal cameras) and counter-drone systems to detect aerial threats.
• Command and control:
  • Upgraded two Communications Centres within Border Integrity Operations Centres in British Columbia and Quebec
  • Ensured nationwide command and control of border operations, adding monitoring stations servers and personnel for 24/7 coverage.
• Detection technology:
  • Invested $54M in large-scale imaging technology and hand-held chemical analysis tools for officers.
  • The CBSA procured new detection technology tools, including three new Mobile Large Scale Imager trucks already at locations across the country, thanks to over $11M of investment made into major x-ray infrastructure that enables the CBSA to efficiently and effectively identify suspected contraband and stolen vehicles hidden in containers at marine and land ports of entry.
  • Detection technology tools like Mobility Scanners, Handheld Raman Chemical Analyzers, Mobile Backscatter Imaging Systems, and CT X-Rays are also being procured by the CBSA. These tools will enhance the Agency's ability to detect and identify illegal synthetic drugs and precursor chemicals at the border.

Intelligence and- international partnership

• Cross-border task forces:
  • Established a North American Joint Strike Force Steering Committee co-chaired by the RCMP and U.S. DEA, and shared tactical intelligence with the FBI and DEA to investigate groups involved in cross-border criminal activity.
• Operational intelligence:
  • Created a Joint Operational Intelligence Cell with representatives from the federal Security and Intelligence Community (RCMP, CBSA, Public Safety, CSE, CSIS, and FINTRAC).
• Expanded presence:
  • Created new RCMP liaison posts in the U.S. and Mexico to target threats before they reach the border.
• Indigenous engagement:
  • Engaging with indigenous border communities on cross-border law enforcement cooperation through the Jay Treaty Border Alliance.
• Federal, provincial and territorial cooperation:
  • Established a new secure forum for federal, provincial, and territorial partners to share Secret-level intelligence.

Building Future Capacity

• Legislation:
  • Introduced and advancing Bills C-2 and C-12 to provide updated investigative tools to help criminal investigations and protect immigration system integrity.
• Hiring:
  • CBSA is ramping up to hire 1,000 new officers to crack down on the movement of stolen goods, illegal guns, and drugs, enforce import measures, and investigate unfair trade practices.
  • RCMP to add 1,000 new personnel to increase federal investigative capacity and tackle financial crimes, addressing the most serious criminal threats including organized crime, cyber crime, and national security.
• Infrastructure:
  • Building two new rail examination facilities and expanding lab capacity at the Canadian Drug Analysis Centre.
• Regional support:
  • Investing $1.2M in new equipment for Akwesasne Mohawk Police Service in FY 2025-26 to strengthen border surveillance and law enforcement.

Building on success into 2026

Building on the results achieved in 2025, the Government of Canada is committed to accelerating its border security efforts throughout 2026. The year ahead will see a concentrated effort to finalize key strategic projects, moving beyond planning and into full operational implementation across portfolios.

This will include moving forward with work, including:

• Continuing to operationalize investments announced in the multi-year $1.3 billion Border Plan
• The establishment a Financial Crimes Agency.
• The full operationalization of the new Canadian Drug Analysis Centre (CDAC) to allow for more specialized analysis of synthetic drug samples to better inform Canada's law enforcement and public safety agencies
• Advancing the hiring of 1,000 new RCMP personnel and 1,000 new CBSA officers.
• Continuing to move Bills C-2 and C-12 through the parliamentary process.
• Enhancing border security in preclearance areas in Canada through amendments to the Preclearance in Canada Regulations, and expanding Canadian preclearance operations in the United States.