Public Safety Minister David McGuinty says Canada's new "fentanyl czar" will be appointed before U.S. President Donald Trump's next deadline for imposing sweeping tariffs on Canadian goods.

The details for Canada's new fentanyl czar are expected to be finalized by the end of the week, with Canadians likely to hear 'very shortly' after what this new role will entail.

According to US estimates, an average of 205 Americans have died each day of opioid overdoses in recent years, mostly from fentanyl. Canada has seen 21 deaths per day, according to the latest data, but its population is about twelve times smaller.

Public Safety Minister David McGuinty says the person chosen to be fentanyl czar, a new position that Canada is creating after a deal with U.S. President Donald Trump, will need to play a commanding role in a national campaign to stamp out illegal production and distribution of the deadly opioid.

OTTAWA — Canada’s public safety minister is heading to Washington on Thursday in an effort to convince U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration that the Canada-U.S. border is secure, as the clock ticks down on Trump’s threat of slapping 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian imports.

Days before tariffs that have the potential to cripple Canada's economy are expected to come into effect, Canadian politicians are pushing the message that the country is cracking down on one of U.S.