The federal government has appointed former Mountie Kevin Brosseau as Canada's new "fentanyl czar," a role created as part of a last-minute deal to avert a major trade war with the United States.

The Liberal government has named Kevin Brosseau, a former senior Mountie, to be the federal point person on fighting the spread of deadly fentanyl. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Brosseau’s role as fentanyl czar will involve working closely with U.

Canada has appointed Kevin Brosseau as its first fentanyl czar to tackle the flow of the synthetic opioid and placate US concerns. This move is in response to President Trump's threats of imposing tariffs on Canadian imports unless more stringent measures are taken to curb fentanyl smuggling.

Canada on Tuesday named a former deputy commissioner with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police as the country’s fentanyl czar, hoping to show the U.S. it is working to prevent production and distribution of the synthetic opioid.

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s office announced that former RCMP deputy commissioner Kevin Brosseau will be taking on the job of working with Canada’s law enforcement agencies and their U.S. counterparts to eradicate the “scourge of fentanyl.”