Canadian and U.S. officials have reaffirmed their collaborative partnership on mutual concerns, including law enforcement information sharing, foreign interference, combating gun and drug trafficking, and addressing online and hate crimes. The meeting took place yesterday in Washington, DC, as part of the U.S.–Canada Cross Border Crime Forum (CBCF).
U.S. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland and U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas hosted Canada’s Minister of Justice and Attorney General Arif Virani and Canada’s Minister of Public Safety Dominic LeBlanc for this third CBCF since its reestablishment under the 2021 Roadmap for a Renewed U.S.-Canada Partnership by President Biden and Prime Minister Trudeau.
The Ministers discussed various ways to enhance collaboration in key areas:
**Foreign Interference/National Security**
The Ministers recognized the threat posed by hostile foreign actors seeking to influence electoral outcomes through cyber-attacks or other means. Both nations agreed on the importance of fair elections as democratic cornerstones and emphasized cooperation to counter these threats.
Malign foreign actors also target trade secrets and sensitive technologies through espionage. To address this global issue, Canada and the U.S. will continue joint investigations and prosecutions where appropriate.
The Ministers underscored transparency through foreign agent registries as a critical tool against transnational repression. The U.S. highlighted its Foreign Agents Registration Act while Canada referenced Bill C-70, An Act respecting countering foreign interference.
**Law Enforcement Cooperation and Information Sharing**
Both countries are working together to combat fentanyl trafficking by disrupting illicit supply chains from production to distribution. Efforts also focus on firearms smuggling across the border.
Enhanced information sharing between Canadian and U.S. law enforcement has led to successful operations against opioid distribution networks and firearm smugglers. The Ministers stressed building on existing Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) to maximize information sharing within legal frameworks.
They also addressed cross-border human smuggling challenges, emphasizing improved intelligence sharing for detecting organized crime groups involved in such activities.
**Online Crime and Hate Crimes**
Acknowledging the need for lawful access to communications content in serious crime investigations, the Ministers discussed efforts against online child sexual abuse material (CSAM), particularly AI-generated CSAM.
The benefits and risks posed by AI technology were noted along with its implications across multiple government domains like criminal law, civil rights, and antitrust law.
Efforts against elder fraud, romance scams, anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, among other bias-motivated attacks were discussed with both countries pledging coordinated actions against hate crimes.
The strengthened collaboration between their respective Access to Justice Offices was acknowledged as part of ongoing efforts to overcome systemic inequality in justice systems.
In conclusion, the Ministers committed to maintaining close contact on these issues through CBCF meetings and bilateral exchanges while reiterating their strong security relationship along the Canada-U.S. border.
