In a letter sent to Justin Trudeau on Sunday, of which Radio-Canada received a copy, the prime minister and head of the CAQ calls for all migrants who have irregularly crossed the border at Saint-Bernard-de-Lacolle to go to other provinces be redirected regardless of their profile.
Quebec has a long tradition of hosting refugees and we are proud to do our part in this humanitarian duty, writes François Legault. However, this influx cannot continue. Quebec has now far exceeded its absorption capacity.
For this reason, the Quebec Premier is calling on his federal counterpart to urgently and consistently take all the necessary measures to distribute asylum seekers to other provinces as soon as they arrive at the border, regardless of the profile of the applicants.
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In his letter, the Quebec premier hailed the efforts of the federal government, which recently transported to Ontario the majority of migrants detained by the RCMP at the end of Roxham Road.
This practice, he argues, should continue until the Safe Third Country deal with Washington is reviewed. François Legault is also inviting Justin Trudeau to make it a priority at his next meeting with President Joe Biden next month in Ottawa.
According to the CAQ head, the Safe Third Country Agreement should apply to all points of entry into Canada, whether regular or irregular.
“One day Roxham Road will have to be closed, whether we like it or not. This is not just one topic among others. We are talking about respect for Canada’s territorial boundaries and it seems to me that it is your primary responsibility as Prime Minister of this country to ensure that those boundaries are respected. »
— A quote from François Legault, Premier of Quebec
In the meantime, it is important that […] Asylum seekers arriving irregularly are now all being diverted to other provinces, argues François Legault.
Also important, according to him, is that the federal government’s temporary housing capacity on the territory of Quebec continues to decrease, as we saw between February 10 and 13, it’s worth it.
According to François Legault, Quebec has put in more than its fair share of effort in recent years – something Justin Trudeau implicitly acknowledged last month when he said the province has been “extremely generous” so far.
A popular route
Roxham Road is a healthy option for migrants wishing to seek asylum in Canada who are unable to do so at a regular border crossing due to the Safe Third Countries Agreement.
Over time, this border crossing has become very busy. Nearly 40,000 people transited the United States on Roxham Road last year, accounting for 42% of all asylum seekers admitted to Canada in 2022. They also increase the number of temporary residents, which currently number more than 300,000 in Quebec.
In fact, this route has become so popular that New York City now funds the movement of migrants to Roxham Road. According to our information, even American customs brokers would be involved in such shipments, which could violate Canadian laws.
Such an influx raises several humanitarian considerations as it becomes increasingly difficult to receive asylum seekers with dignity, argues François Legault in his letter to Justin Trudeau.
Not only are these migrants struggling to find decent housing, but more of them are likely to find themselves in a situation of homelessness, stresses the prime minister. And the community organizations that offer them direct support are few and far between, he says.
Quebec’s public services are also facing unprecedented increased pressures, particularly in healthcare, education, franchising and support services of last resort, explains Mr. Legault, who says that this additional pressure has become unsustainable and cannot continue.
For this reason, Quebec now awaits the reimbursement of all costs related to the reception and integration of asylum seekers for the years 2021 and 2022, he writes, specifying that Minister Christine Fréchette has already informed her federal counterpart of this request in writing.