Alberta Prime Minister Daniel Smith is urging Ottawa to take a more difficult stance on drug crimes by reintroducing essential minimum prisons.
Smith urges the federal government to revive minimum sentences under the Controlled Drug and Substances Act (CDSA), and uses measures like conditional text to simplify less serious drug-related cases from the criminal justice system. It urges cancellation guidelines instruct federal prosecutors to redirect them.
“The government in Alberta has been reversing the soft crime policy that has for many years allowed illegal drugs to flood our streets and repeatedly allowed criminals to prey on our most vulnerable ones. We’ve been urging it,” Smith said in a statement on February 10th. “The federal government must act now and end their insane policies.”
If the federal government does not take steps to strengthen drug laws, the state would like to assume full responsibility for Alberta’s controlled drug and substance law prosecution, Smith said.
“There’s no mistake. The Alberta government will find these dangerous offenders, prosecute them and keep them in jail where they belong,” she said.
Smith argues that changes made under Bill C-5 “weakened” Canada’s judicial system. The bill was made law in the fall of 2022, eliminating all mandatory minimum sentences for prison sentences for CDSA crimes and compulsory minimums for many weapons and substance-related crimes under the Canadian Criminal Code. The sentence has been deleted.
The policy provides that police and prosecutors prioritize referrals to program treatment and support programs before resorting to accusations or prosecutions of drug possession crimes.
The Department of Justice describes Building C-5 as a way to promote fairness and “more effective response” to criminal conduct.
Former Minister David Lametti said he is also working on discrimination within Canada’s criminal justice system.
“Systemic racism is a reality for many people in Canada’s criminal justice system,” he said in a 2022 statement. “The Act abolishes the essential minimum penalties that most contributed to the excessive invasion of Indigenous peoples, blacks and racialized Canadians. These reforms will help everyone to maintain public safety while maintaining public safety. It ensures a fairer and more effective judicial system.”
Drug border connections
Smith’s proposal to crack down on drug crimes has been highlighted by US President Donald Trump, who demanded that Canada secure a border against drug trafficking, particularly fentanyl.
Trump has signed a February 1 executive order to enact a 25% tariff on Canadian products as a way to persuade Ottawa to strengthen border security. Taxes were suspended on February 3 after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pledged to expand the government’s $1.3 billion border security program by appointing “Emperor Fentanyl.”
Trudeau has also pledged to fight drug trafficking, launch a new cross-border task force and spend another $200 million to list the cartel as a terrorist organization.
Smith took him to social media over the weekend to express concern that the Fentanyl Emperor has not yet been appointed.
“Alberta is confused and concerned about the delay in the appointment of this Emperor Fentanyl, and is calling on the federal government to do so without further delay,” Smith wrote in a February 9 post. “There’s a lot to do. While efforts have begun nationwide to strengthen border security and crack down on fentanyl trafficking, these efforts will be restricted without federal leads adjusting national responses. It’s been done.”
Ontario Prime Minister Doug Ford has issued a similar call for Ottawa to act.
“Time is running out,” Ford said at a press conference on February 8th. “We can’t wait until the last minute. Appoint Emperor Fentanyl. Start showing the Americans what we’re doing.”
Trudeau said Canada plans to tackle the drug problem “head-on.”
“Through the Canadian border plan, we will deploy thousands of frontline personnel at the border, launch precursor chemical detection units, and build new drug profiling centres to combat the fentanyl trade,” he said. He mentioned this in a social media post on February 4th.
He did not comment specifically on when Emperor Fentanyl will be appointed, but Public Security Minister David McGinty said at a press conference on February 6th that the scope of the role will be finalized by the end of the week. He said that. He said Ottawa would be “absolutely” appointed within the 30-day bounty period.
