The Trump administration is increasingly hostile towards Canada, citing national security concerns. It cites the fentanyl and terrorists coming across a porous northern border and the lack of commitment to national defense that defined the government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and continues to characterize that of Prime Minister Mark Carney.

One is tempted to ask again why President Donald Trump endorsed Carney to win the recent federal election, given that his administration couldn't be more correct in its assessment of Canadian security.

FBI Director Kash Patel recently shocked many journalists and political observers with his recent proclamation that Canada was to blame for the continued flow of fentanyl and terrorists into the US.

Noting that the Trump administration has been entirely efficacious in closing the southern border with Mexico, Patel asked what should have been an obvious question. Why are drugs still flowing into America?

"So where's all the fentanyl coming from, still? Where's the trafficking coming from, still? Where are all the narco-traffickers going to keep bringing this stuff into the country? The northern border, our adversaries have partnered up with the CCP and others, Russia, Iran, on a variety of different criminal enterprises. They're going, and they're sailing around to Vancouver and coming in by air. The sheer tyranny of distance of the northern border and the lack of cooperation from federal authorities and prior administrations to actually firm up that northern border is what's causing a continuation of violent crime," Patel said.

"Now we're focused on it, and we're calling our state and local law enforcement partners up there, but you know who has to get to step in is Canada because they're making it up there and shipping it down here. And I don't care about getting into this debate about making someone the 51st state or not, but they are our partner in the north," Patel continued.

Then he went further, noting that it was not just fentanyl that Canada was exporting but terrorists. "And say what you want about Mexico, but they helped us seal the southern border. The facts speak for themselves. The border is open. I'll give you a statistic that I gave to Congress that nobody was paying attention to: over 300 known or suspected terrorist crimes. Terrorists crossed into this country last year illegally. Known or suspected terrorists, not illegals, not just illegals, known or suspected terrorists, 85% of them came in through the northern border."

It's one of Canada's most sordid secrets – but no more, thanks to some clarity and courage from Patel. Fentanyl precursors from China arrive unmolested at the port of Vancouver and are then moved to production sites in British Columbia, where the drug emerges for distribution. This is not a story that has been widely reported in Canada – far from it. Investigative journalist Sam Cooper has done a lot of the work.

"As President @realDonaldTrump readies sweeping tariffs against Canada on Saturday—citing Ottawa's failure to secure its shared North American borders from fentanyl originating in China—The Bureau has obtained a remarkable December 1999 document from a senior law enforcement official, revealing Ottawa's longstanding negligence in securing Vancouver's port against drug trafficking linked to Chinese shipping entities."

And if anyone thinks Mark Carney is going to do anything to acknowledge these operations – let alone stop them – one might recall just how deeply in the pocket of China the current prime minister is. He even solicited a $276 million (CAD) loan from the Chinese central bank while he was still chairman of Brookfield Asset Management and the chief economic advisor to the Trudeau government.

What is almost comical about Canada's war against fentanyl is that the Trudeau government announced the appointment of a new "fentanyl czar" on Feb. 12, 2025, in response to Trump's threats to impose a 25 percent across-the-board tariff if Canada didn't tighten its border security and tackle the flow of fentanyl. Former RCMP Deputy Commissioner Kevin Brosseau has been absent from the news since he commenced his new job.

Brosseau is supposed to be liaising with US officials and law enforcement agencies to "accelerate Canada's ongoing work to detect, disrupt and dismantle the fentanyl trade," according to a statement from the Prime Minister's Office. "The scourge of fentanyl must be wiped from the face of the Earth, its production must be shut down, and its profiteers must be punished," the statement insists.

National defense is another source of failure for Canada, which has spent billions in support of Ukraine in its war with Russia while simultaneously denuding the Canadian Armed Forces of equipment.

Now, Canada is seriously thinking of backing out of its commitment to buy the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter to replace its aging fleet of F-18s, first acquired in 1982. US Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra thinks that's a foolish proposal because it will probably threaten Canada's membership in NORAD, the continental air defense treaty activated in 1958.

"I think that's worked pretty well for the US, and it's worked well for Canada. It's, I think, one of the only, if not the only, bilateral military relationship in the world. So I think it would, but, I mean, there's criteria, okay, and some of those criteria are being questioned right now," Hoekstra told CTV News.

"One of the criteria for NORAD is interchangeability and interoperability. So that would mean that you know, we're flying the same kinds of planes, we're using the parts, and, you know, it's all interchangeable. It's one system. You know, Canada is challenging the decision to buy F-35s, which is now up for review. If Canadians are flying one airplane, we're flying another airplane; it's no longer interchangeable. And so that might even threaten NORAD without talking about new alliances that promise even more security and safety to our people," he continued.

The ambassador reiterated that Canada's membership in NORAD would be under review if it decides to buy fighter jets that are not interoperable with American planes.

Hoekstra, whether intentionally or not, has opened the lid on Canada's flaccid, ineffective, and absurd military capital acquisition program, which has the country's army, navy, and air force acquiring new equipment just when it becomes obsolete.

It was the government of Liberal Prime Minister Jean Chretien who first signed on to the F-35 program in 2002. That was almost 25 years ago. Chretien hedged on purchasing the aircraft, and the subsequent government of Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper continued to evade a decision. Trudeau campaigned on a pledge to cancel the F-35 in 2015, but after years of considering other options, they finally decided to go with the fighter aircraft.

Now Carney is discussing the possibility of canceling again, noting that Sweden, France, and the UK have fighter jets for sale. He recently blathered on about how the contract is now under review, even as the Royal Canadian Air Force has fewer and fewer operational aircraft and must contend with a fighter that is almost 65 years old.

"The second part of your question, the review of the F-35 contract, is ongoing. There's many factors that come into that, there's interoperability that we relate to the NORAD element. There is value for money, broader Canadian and industrial impacts. All of those are factors that are under consideration. So, I didn't see the ambassador's specific comments, but those are factors that are part of an ongoing review of the contract," Mark Carney stated.

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So whether we're talking about a border that is anything but secure, a fentanyl czar who has gone into hiding, or a military that has become a lingering joke, Canada has utterly collapsed under the weight of woke, corrupt, and pusillanimous governments that refuse to recognize reality and deal with the consequences.

Privately, many Canadians are thanking Patel and Hoekstra for the reality check.