RCMP in Manitoba say residents near the U.S. border could start seeing and hearing Black Hawk helicopters on a regular basis as the national police force bolsters its presence in the area.
The first patrol flight took off a day before the presidential inauguration of Donald Trump on Monday.
Trump had threatened to impose steep tariffs on Canadian goods on his first day back in office unless Canada moved to stem the flow of illegal migrants and drugs into the United States, but the tariffs did not materialize on inauguration day.
Later Monday, Trump suggested he is looking at Feb.1 as the day he plans to slap Canada and Mexico with 25 per cent across-the-board tariffs.
Aerial surveillance is part of the federal government’s $1.3-billion upgrade to border security and monitoring in response to Trump’s threat.
The federal plan also includes extra police and border guards, drones and drug-sniffing dogs.
RCMP say the Black Hawk flights will target all illegal activity along the border, including illegal entry into Canada and drug trafficking.