Canada on ‘high alert’ as Trudeau govt braces for possible influx of migrants from US

Canada is on "high alert" with all eyes on the US border as the country is bracing for a possible influx of migrants from the United States.

"We're on high alert," a Royal Canadian Mounted Police spokesman, Sergeant Charles Poirier, told AFP.

"All of our eyes are looking at the border to see what's going to happen... because we know that Trump's stance on immigration might drive up illegal and irregular migration to Canada," he said.

On Friday, Canada’s Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland in Ottawa met with a group of ministers tasked with handling thorny issues that might emerge between Canada and the incoming Trump administration.

Accusing immigrants of "poisoning the blood’ of the country, US President-elect Donald Trump has promised the largest mass deportation in American history.

During his first presidential term from 2017 to 2021, tens of thousands of migrants, including Haitians were stripped of US protections, fled north to Canada.

Freeland has also sought to reassure that Canada was ready for a possible uptick in migrant arrivals.

"We have a plan," she told a news conference after the meeting, without giving details. "Canadians need to know... our borders are safe and secure and we control them."

Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government has said it wants to slow population growth while it bolsters key infrastructure and social services.

Quebec Premier Francois Legault this week also expressed concerns about a large number of arrivals overwhelming his province's already strained ability to house them.

According to Google Trends, immediately following Tuesday's election, online searches in the United States about moving to Canada jumped tenfold.

Entering Canada between border checkpoints is illegal, and dangerous, especially in winter months, the RCMP's Poirier noted.

"We understand the misery and fear that drives people to try to cross into Canada (through forests or fields or across lakes and rivers), but there are real dangers," he warned.