The Manitoba government is planning to have conservation officers help patrol efforts along the Canada-United States border.
Premier Wab Kinew says the officers would serve as extra eyes and ears for police and other security agencies and could help in humanitarian efforts to rescue people.
He pointed to the case of a family from India who froze to death in Manitoba in 2022 while trying to walk across the border in a blizzard.
Kinew says strengthening border security would address concerns expressed by the U.S. and help protect Manitoba’s economy.
U.S. president-elect Donald Trump has threatened to impose sweeping tariffs on Canadian and Mexican goods unless border security is improved.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has hinted at setting up an Alberta border patrol that would operate like a specialized fugitive apprehension team of sheriffs.