Smith says Ottawa should appoint ‘border czar’ to work collaboratively with U.S.

As the threat of 25 per cent tariffs looms over Canada, Alberta’s premier says Ottawa should appoint a “border czar” to work collaboratively with the United States.Danielle Smith told reporters Wednesday that a Canadian border czar would work with American counterpart Tom Homan to crack down on fentanyl and illegal crossings – something U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly said is a major issue.Smith said having a border czar, on top of a $1.3-billion border security plan pledged by Ottawa, would further help Canada’s chances to avoid the tariffs that Trump has threatened to impose on Saturday.