Of the 380 people who took the irregular passage on Saturday and Sunday, only 8 remained in Quebec, the minister said during a press scuffle on Tuesday.
We are very happy, said Ms. Fréchette.
” The problem [de l’entrée massive de migrants irréguliers au pays] remains, but it’s still an improvement, it’s a step in the right direction. »
— A quote from Christine Fréchette, Quebec Minister of Immigration
However, according to the minister, it is still too early to decide whether the federal government will continue with this approach. We are waiting for the confirmation.
I have no information about what happened [lundi]but we expect to continue this new approach and ensure that all future asylum seekers are diverted to other provinces as Quebec’s capacity to receive is exceeded.
This is a first step, she added. Will other provinces be involved? Possibly…
A reception befitting Quebec’s political weight
The Quebec government has long called on Ottawa to find solutions to the large and incessant influx of asylum seekers into the province, which has limited capacity.
Minister Fréchette also mentioned on Tuesday the significant pressure being put on our government programs and host organizations as a result of this large influx of irregular migrants.
We are asking that the proportion of asylum seekers who stay in Quebec should correspond to Quebec’s political weight in Canada, so we’re talking about 22 or 23%, the Minister underlined. We would be in acceptable waters there.
We are really beyond that, she argued, pointing out that in 2022 some 60,000 irregular asylum seekers would have entered the country via Roxham Road.
A total of 5,557 asylum seekers have been sent by the federal government to Ontario since June 30 at the request of Quebec, a number that has increased sharply in recent weeks, according to a source consulted by Radio-Canada.
Minister Fréchette said on Tuesday that 500 additional hotel rooms had recently been reserved by the federal government to accommodate more migrants in Ontario.
At the end of December, Ottawa rented around 1,860 hotel rooms in the greater Montreal area.