The United States and Canada have a longstanding security, law enforcement, and intelligence partnership centered on protecting public safety, consistent with rights protected by law. To advance shared goals, 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 in Washington, D.C., for the U.S.-Canada Cross Border Crime Forum (CBCF). This meeting is the third CBCF since it was reestablished by President Biden’s and Prime Minister Trudeau’s 2021 “Roadmap for a Renewed U.S.-Canada Partnership.”
Building on previous CBCF meetings' success, including the “Statement of Partnership to Prevent, Investigate, Prosecute, and Disrupt Cross-Border Crime” signed at last year’s meeting, the officials discussed enhancing collaboration in several areas.
Foreign Interference/National Security
The Ministers acknowledged threats from hostile foreign actors, particularly regarding electoral interference. They emphasized that fair and secure elections are cornerstones of democracy and agreed to work together to combat threats undermining them.
They also noted malign foreign actors' willingness to use insiders or other means to steal trade secrets and sensitive technologies. The Ministers agreed on the need to preserve cross-border data flow while maintaining sensitive personal data security.
Both countries reaffirmed their commitment to protecting democracies through transparency via foreign agent registries. The United States discussed its Foreign Agents Registration Act while Canada highlighted its newly passed Bill C-70 establishing a Foreign Influence Transparency Registry.
Law Enforcement Cooperation and Information Sharing
The United States and Canada continue combating fentanyl and synthetic opioids by disrupting illicit supply chains. They also target violence caused by firearms smuggled across the border through enhanced information sharing between law enforcement agencies.
The Ministers praised advances in cooperation since the last CBCF meeting and stressed building on prior Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs). They committed to providing clear policy direction to maximize information sharing within each country’s laws.
They also addressed challenges associated with cross-border human smuggling and called for strengthening ways to gather information for detecting organized crime groups involved in human smuggling.
Online Crime and Hate Crimes
Acknowledging the need for lawful access to communications content vital for investigating serious crimes like terrorism, the Ministers discussed collective efforts against online child sexual abuse material (CSAM), noting an increase in AI-generated CSAM.
Regarding AI technology's benefits and risks, they recommended continued focus on this area by the CBCF. They also discussed coordinated engagement against elder fraud and romance scams.
The Ministers expressed concern over increased hate crimes motivated by anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, among others, pledging joint efforts to address this issue.
Conclusion
The Ministers plan continued close contact on these critical issues through CBCF meetings and other bilateral exchanges. They reiterated the strength of U.S.-Canada security relationships along their border.
Contacts:
Jean-Sébastien Comeau
Deputy Director of Communications
Office of Dominic LeBlanc
Minister of Public Safety
343-574-8116
Jean-Sebastien.Comeau@iga-aig.gc.ca
Media Relations
Public Safety Canada
613-991-0657
media@ps-sp.gc.ca
Chantalle Aubertin
Deputy Director, Communications
Office of the Minister of Justice
613-992-6568
Chantalle.Aubertin@justice.gc.ca
Media Relations
Department of Justice Canada
613-957-4207
media@justice.gc.ca
Nicole Navas Oxman
Senior Communications Advisor for International Law Enforcement/Spokesperson
U.S. Department of Justice
202-305-5625
Nicole.Navas@usdoj.gov
U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Office of Public Affairs
mediainquiry@hq.dhs.gov