Fentanyl Crackdown: Boosting Law Enforcement Support
Canada is taking significant action to stop the production and devastating impacts of illegal fentanyl and other illegal drugs on public health and public safety. Health Canada plays a critical role in supporting Canadian law and border enforcement in their activities to counter the global drug threat and is taking concrete action to keep communities safe on both sides of the border.
Today, the Honourable Ya’ara Saks, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health, announced new drug testing labs and a dedicated, full-time team focused on combatting illegal precursor chemicals and drug production. The Federal Government is actioning this by investing $30.7 million to launch a Precursor Chemical Risk Management Unit (PCRMU) and $48 million to establish the Canadian Drug Analysis Centre (CDAC).
The PCMRU will strengthen our ability to support law and border enforcement in stopping the production of illegal drugs and the importation of chemicals used to make them, including through 20 full-time employees.
The CDAC will significantly expand our drug testing lab capacity and analysis capabilities including through new dedicated lab spaces in Toronto and Vancouver. As a result, the new lab could analyze up to 2000 illegal drug samples per year and trace the place and source of production of these samples. Such intelligence will be used by law enforcement and public safety partners to strategically target organized crime. These efforts will be supported by 26 additional full-time employees.
We are working closely with the United States Drug Enforcement Administration to enhance existing collaboration and information sharing between our governments.
These actions will spearhead activities with allies, working collectively to protect communities from the scourge of illegal drugs, like fentanyl.
https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/news/2025/03/combatting-fentanyl-production-and-supporting-law-enforcement-action.html