Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is calling for the federal government to close the Roxham Road border crossing within 30 days amid a rising influx of migrants entering Quebec irregularly and spurring calls from Quebec leaders who say their communities cannot keep up with the pace.
Speaking to reporters in Ottawa on Tuesday, Poilievre laid the blame for the surge of migrants squarely at the feet of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who he accused of encouraging irregular crossings at Roxham Road and not addressing a backlog of refugee claims.
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The Conservative leader argued that Trudeau had already demonstrated Roxham Road could be closed without violating the Safe Third Country Agreement with the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic, and urged the government to do so again — failing to mention the entire border was shut down during that time.
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“If we are a real country, we have borders. And if this is a real prime minister, he is responsible for those borders,” he said. The Safe Third Country Agreement requires asylum seekers arriving in Canada or the United States to apply in the country of first arrival and prohibits them from applying in the country of first arrival. However, immigrants who cross the line of civil service posts are already on Canadian soil and can apply for asylum after being detained by the police.
Poilievre’s comments came after Quebec Premier Francois Legault this week urged President Trudeau to renegotiate the deal, making crossing the Wroxham Road a top priority when he meets with President Joe Biden next month. It is a result of receiving
He reportedly wrote to Trudeau on Sunday saying that since the treaty had forced asylum seekers to Wroxham Road, the renegotiated treaty should apply to all points of entry.
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Poirivre urges Trudeau to implement plan to close Wroxham Road border crossing in 30 days
On Tuesday, The Globe and Mail published a letter in English from Mr Legault, who said the number of asylum seekers entering Quebec was “exploding”, pushing the province’s social services to their limits. The Prime Minister has also proposed to other states to accept some of these immigrants.
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The open letter included a letter from Legault to Trudeau expressing concern that the influx of immigrants was threatening Montreal’s French language, and a request for more funds to cover the cost of caring for asylum seekers. was not included.
According to federal statistics, more than 39,000 people sought asylum after being intercepted by the RCMP crossing the Canadian border into Quebec in 2022, compared with just 369 elsewhere.
Overall, about 64% of all asylum applications filed in Canada in 2022 were made in Quebec. Last year’s numbers have risen sharply since 4,095 migrants were blocked at Quebec’s southern border in 2021.
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Quebec Urges Ottawa to Resolve Wroxham Road Crisis
Poilievre did not provide details on how it will address the immigration backlog, which currently has more than 910,000 applications processed, but the funds will go from monitoring fraudulent passage to legal immigration. He said it could be repurposed for system enhancements, which he said would help reduce wait times.
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“We probably have the best immigration system in the world. But Trudeau breaks it,” he said.
Immigration Commissioner Sean Fraser said in a statement to Global News that the proposal to close Wroxham Road within 30 days would “resolve the problem without presenting a plan to address the consequences.” not,” he said, adding that it would only encourage more erratic border crossings elsewhere.
“The ideas put forward by Pierre Polivre are not only frivolous, they lack depth and understanding,” said Fraser.
“As Canada works to navigate a global migration crisis, it is our responsibility to implement real, long-term solutions.”
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Fraser acknowledged that Quebec has faced “immense pressure” and said Ottawa has transferred thousands of migrants elsewhere in Canada since last June.
A spokesperson for Fraser`s office clarified that to date, those transfers have been to Ontario, but a “pan-Canadian” approach is in the works.
“We are continuing to work with other provinces and municipalities to identify communities that have the capacity to accommodate additional asylum claimants as we work toward a long-term solution,” Fraser said in his statement.
The minister also encouraged people who want to enter Canada to consider other ways to enter the country.
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— with files from The Canadian Press
© 2023 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
