Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau sent a jab Saturday to his Quebec counterpart, François Legault, suggesting that half of the asylum seekers already established in Quebec should be forcibly moved to other provinces.
“We are here to work constructively while defending the fundamental rights of people,” said Mr. Trudeau, in Paris, during a press conference on the sidelines of the second and last day of the Francophonie Summit.
Mr. Trudeau immediately stated that he wants to avoid focusing on “different domestic policies” when he is traveling internationally.
Yet this is precisely what Mr. Legault did throughout the week during his visit to France which began with a three-day economic mission.
He in turn mentioned the idea of taking inspiration from France to create “waiting zones” for asylum seekers, then forcibly moving 80,000 of them who live in Quebec to other places. other provinces, which notably earned him criticism from the oppositions in Quebec, the federal government and the Bloc Québécois.
However, compulsory transfers would violate the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, Ottawa pointed out. And the federal government says that it is “out of the question” to deviate from it by invoking the notwithstanding clause.
As for waiting zones, Mr. Trudeau simply said that “different countries have different issues and different ways of approaching them.” And Ottawa is working with the provinces to welcome asylum seekers “appropriately,” he said.
The Legault government strives to repeat that the number of asylum seekers that Quebec receives “is no longer sustainable”. He also notes that Ottawa’s approach, of relying solely on “the will” of the provinces and asylum seekers, has in fact yielded “no results.”