CAQ to double the number of asylum seekers in Quebec City
Posted November 23, 2023 2:33 pm.
Last Updated November 23, 2023 2:53 pm.
The CAQ government launched a pilot project to double the number of asylum seekers settling in Quebec City, to relieve pressure on Montreal’s welcoming capacity and meet labour needs in Quebec’s capital.
Every Wednesday since the beginning of November, a bus from Montreal has brought a dozen asylum seekers to Quebec City, according to TVA Nouvelles. Those participating have volunteered to be part of the pilot project.
They are housed and fed by the Centre Multiethnique de Québec until they find a place to settle.
Over the next few months, 540 more will follow suit, doubling the number of asylum seekers welcomed in Quebec City each year. Much less than in Montreal, where over 6,000 arrived last September alone.
To encourage asylum seekers to come to Quebec City, the government is also offering them support in finding a job, and in the meantime, emergency social assistance of $850 a month and an allowance of $230 a week to take French courses.
For now, the government has earmarked $15 million for this project over the next three years.
