Survey says 68% of Quebecers want Roxham Road closed
Posted January 12, 2023 11:32 am.
An increasing number of Quebecers want Roxham Road to be closed, according to a poll commissioned by a group that has just filed a criminal complaint against Justin Trudeau.
According to the results, 68 per cent of Quebecers who responded to the poll want to close this irregular entry point at the border with the United States through which tens of thousands of asylum seekers enter Canada each year.
The Synopsis survey was commissioned by the group Justice pour le Québec, and conducted among 1,000 Quebec adults from November 24 to 28, 2022.
This is an increase from last spring, when 60 per cent of Quebecers demanded Ottawa prevent migrants from bypassing border crossings.
Canada has had a record year for asylum seekers arriving via this small road in the middle of the forest near Hemmingford.
Group says Trudeau flouting federal laws
Frédéric Bastien, founder of the group Justice pour le Québec says the Canadian Prime Minister is flouting federal laws by maintaining this irregular entry point.
He claims Justin Trudeau essentially invited refugees to come to the country in a tweet in 2017, and that the federal government also built permanent facilities at Roxham Road in addition to installing signs indicating how to apply for asylum, making it an unofficial border post.
Justin Trudeau has made it clear that Canada has obligations under international treaties to give asylum seekers a hearing, and that “if we closed Roxham Road, people would go elsewhere”.
Refugee advocates warn that closing Roxham Road could potentially entice asylum seekers to seek out more dangerous routes to enter the country.
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Criminal complaint
Bastien filed a complaint Wednesday in the Court of Quebec, arguing that Prime Minister Trudeau is committing a criminal act by inciting refugees to enter Canada “illegally”.
The historian and professor argues that section 117 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act prohibits encouraging people to enter Canada illegally.
It should be noted that under international law an irregular border crossing is not considered illegal and no crime is committed.
A Quebec Court judge has 30 days to decide on the follow-up to be given to the case.
