Increase in asylum seekers: Legault wants to see federal leaders’ plan

With just a few days to go before the federal election vote, Quebec Premier François Legault is reiterating his call for federal leaders to present a plan to halve the number of temporary immigrants to Quebec. More than 2,000 asylum seekers arrived at the Saint-Bernard-de-Lacolle border crossing in April.

“I think Quebecers have a right to know from the federal leaders by Monday: what are they doing to stop the flow of 2,000 in less than a month? And what are they doing to halve the number of temporary immigrants we have in Quebec?” the Premier told a press scrum at the National Assembly on Thursday.

This influx of asylum seekers is linked to U.S. President Donald Trump’s deportation policies.

“I understand these people saying, ‘I’m going to go and live in Quebec to improve my lot.’ They are worried about what Donald Trump is saying in the United States. But Quebec has already exceeded its reception capacity,” said Legault.

Liberal leader Mark Carney said Thursday he agreed with Legault on the “need to reduce the level of temporary immigrants to Quebec”.

“This is a shared responsibility between the federal government and Quebec, and we need to work closely together to achieve this goal,” he said at a press briefing in British Columbia.

Carney has previously stated that it is “appropriate” to return asylum seekers to the U.S. under the Safe Third Country Agreement.

For his part, Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre said that only “genuine asylum seekers” should be selected. He also pledged to work with Quebec to halve the number of temporary immigrants on its territory.

The Conservative leader also promised to give Quebec the power to select the majority of temporary foreign workers under the International Mobility Program (PMI). A promise welcomed by Legault.

The Premier keeps hammering home the point that Quebec’s capacity to receive immigrants has been exceeded and that temporary immigrants are putting pressure on housing and public services.

There are 600,000 temporary immigrants in Quebec.

–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews