Justice Minister Sean Fraser, Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree and Canada’s fentanyl czar, Kevin Brosseau, met with U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi in Washington Wednesday afternoon to discuss the Canadian government’s work to strengthen its criminal justice system and border security, a source told CBC News.
Before the meeting began, the source said Fraser would discuss the criminal justice reforms he will be proposing this fall, while Anandasangaree and Brosseau would focus on fentanyl and other Canada-U.S. border issues. The source added that Bondi reached out to the Canadians.
It was Canada’s second high-level meeting with U.S. officials since Prime Minister Mark Carney pledged to remove retaliatory tariffs on CUSMA-compliant U.S. goods by Sept. 1.
The prime minister said he got reassurances from U.S. President Donald Trump that dropping retaliatory tariffs would “intensify” trade discussions between the two countries.
Canada’s fentanyl czar, Kevin Brosseau, looks on during a press conference following a tour of the Canada Border Services Agency port of entry in Lansdowne, Ont., on Feb. 12, 2025. (Spencer Colby/The Canadian Press)
On Wednesday, Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc’s office said he was leaving Washington with a sense that progress was made after a meeting with U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.
The two men also met on Tuesday. LeBlanc’s office said at the time the two had a “constructive [and] lengthy” meeting.
A Canadian source told CBC News that Tuesday’s meeting was meant to last an hour, but went for 90 minutes. The source said there was a sense of optimism on the Canadian side following the meeting.
The source with knowledge of the meeting between Bondi and Canadian officials said their discussions are not directly related to Canada-U.S. trade talks.
However, Trump has repeatedly justified his tariffs on Canadian goods by arguing Canada has not done enough to curb the flow of fentanyl into the United States.