François Legault addressed English Canada in an open letter Tuesday so “everyone in Canada understands” that Quebec has welcomed its share of asylum seekers.

This is the second part of the Quebec Premier’s campaign to increase pressure on the federal government to take action against illegal immigration on Roxham Road.

On Sunday, Mr Legault sent a letter to the Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, demanding that all asylum seekers arriving in Canada via Roxham Road be diverted elsewhere in the country.

“It’s important that everyone understands that Quebec’s problem is Canada’s problem,” he said in a press crowd before the National Assembly on Tuesday.

“Quebec and Canada are generous, but at the same time there is a limit to what we are humanly capable of and everyone needs to be aware of that,” he added.

Last year, a record 39,171 asylum seekers were intercepted at Roxham Road, an unofficial entry point in Saint-Bernard-de-Lacolle in Montérégie.

Prime Minister Legault has been repeating for months that Quebec’s absorption capacity has been exceeded, that the pressure on public services is unsustainable, and his interventions have so far had little effect.

From “Good Intentions” to “Real Problems”

In His open letter was published on Tuesday’s website globe and mailMr Legault attacks Mr Trudeau’s “good intentions” which have become a “real problem for Quebec and Canada”.

His letter is titled “It’s time to close Roxham Road and enforce the Canadian border”.

“Since Mr. Trudeau invited all those fleeing persecution, terror and war to come to Canada in 2017, the number of asylum seekers has exploded,” he laments.

“That was generous of Mr. Trudeau and we have reason to be proud of our record of hosting refugees. […] but his good intentions have become a real problem for Quebec and Canada. »

Mr. Legault acknowledges that Quebec has supported a disproportionate share of asylum seekers in Canada and that the situation raises several humanitarian considerations.

It is becoming increasingly difficult to receive asylum seekers with dignity, particularly as they face difficulties in finding adequate housing and are more likely to become homeless.

Health and education services are also facing “unprecedented increased pressure”.

“It’s not just a question of money,” adds François Legault. The workforce available to receive and care for asylum seekers is limited. »

“We have therefore asked the federal government to redirect asylum seekers to other provinces that can accept them with dignity. […] until Quebec catches its breath. »

In his open letter, Mr. Legault also calls for Ottawa to renegotiate the Safe Third Countries Agreement with the administration of American President Joe Biden. This should be a priority for Canada, he says.

skepticism of the opposition parties

Mr Legault’s letters change “nothing at all,” responded Îles-de-la-Madeleine PQ MP Joël Arseneau in a press conference on Tuesday. “Ottawa is not very sensitive to what François Legault wants,” he added.

The day before, however, the office of the federal minister for immigration, Sean Fraser, had recognized that Quebec was under “enormous pressure” and that a pan-Canadian action was necessary.

The federal government has transferred “thousands” of asylum seekers to Ontario since June and is looking elsewhere for new temporary housing, he also said.

For his part, Québec solidaire (QS) parliamentary leader Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois said he wanted fair distribution between provinces without “tearing families apart”.

“There are people who come to Quebec to join their family members. There is a modicum of compassion in not separating people,” he argued at a press conference.

Asylum seekers who speak French and want to work in Québec “that the federal government grant them a work permit,” pleaded the interim leader of the Liberal Party of Quebec, Marc Tanguay, on Tuesday.

At the end of the day, QS refused to submit an application from the Parti Québécois, which reiterated that “Québec’s capacity to receive asylum claims has largely been reached.”

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