Hon. Marty Klyne: Senator Moreau, Maclean’s has reported that for fentanyl importers, Canada Post is the preferred shipping method of choice.
In 2024, the Senate Legal Committee passed Senator Dalphond’s Bill S-256, which proposed to amend the Canada Post Corporation Act. It would have allowed police to apply to a judge for a warrant to search for contraband like fentanyl in the mail. Police can already do this with couriers like FedEx.
The Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police and 70 First Nations supported the bill, which didn’t reach a final vote. The government then ran on making this change, which it proposed in Bill C-2. However, the measure was removed with Bill C-12.
Will the government act to allow police to obtain warrants to search for fentanyl in the mail?
Hon. Pierre Moreau (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you. As you know, Bill C-2 is still in the other place. I look forward to having further discussion with you as soon as the bill reaches the Senate.
That being said, the government is aware of its constitutional duty and certainly intends to respect it. As to the search and seizure of individuals’ mail, the government is taking time to be careful with Canadians’ rights to ensure it has a balanced approach while combating the drug trade and fentanyl imports, which are questions that have been raised by Bill C-2. The government is taking this very seriously.
As you know, I mentioned to Senator Housakos that we invested unprecedented amounts in border security. Bill C-2 addresses the specific situation concerning fentanyl, and we’re looking forward to studying that bill more carefully.
Senator Klyne: Bill C-2 should be over at the other place, in the shop, up on the lifts and getting looked at.
It also proposed to allow Canada Post inspectors to open letters to search for contraband with grounds but without a warrant, as with parcels. Customs officers were given this power in 2017.
A Canada Post letter is defined as being up to half a kilo: enough fentanyl to kill over 200,000 people. Would the government reduce the size of a letter in the Letter Definition Regulations to at least expand the inspections?
Senator Moreau: Obviously, we agree that fentanyl is a very dangerous drug. You mentioned it in your supplementary question.
In Bill C-12, the government gave law enforcement the tools they had been asking for to disrupt organized crime networks and keep Canadians safe. At the same time, we still have Bill C-2 in the House of Commons. We will see what the discussion around that bill entails.