François Legault will take up his pilgrim’s staff to defend his grievances concerning asylum seekers to the premiers of the provinces and territories, during the Council of the Federation which will take place in Halifax next week.
His participation in the summer meeting from July 15 to 17 will take on particular importance this year. The CAQ premier has been hammering home for months that Quebec receives too many temporary immigrants, and particularly asylum seekers, for its demographic weight.
In particular, he is asking Ottawa to distribute them better across the whole of Canada.
Quebec will therefore want to discuss this issue with representatives of the other provinces and territories, Mr. Legault’s office confirmed, during this event where the provincial and territorial premiers are seeking to present a common front against the federal government.
Already, the portrait of irregular immigration has changed in the country since the closure of Roxham Road in March 2023, which could make other provinces more receptive to Mr. Legault’s speech.
Indeed, Ontario now welcomes the largest number of asylum seekers, with 40,240 applications in the first five months of 2024, compared to 28,165 for Quebec (see table).
Reviews
But Premier Legault could also be called upon to respond to the frustrations of his Western counterparts.
Recently, British Columbia Premier David Eby denounced the $750 million cheque given by Ottawa to the Quebec government as compensation for expenses incurred in welcoming asylum seekers.
At the end of a meeting with his colleagues from Western Canada, David Eby said he was “frustrated” to see the federal government provide significant amounts of money to Quebec and Ontario, while his province and the others receive “what’s left.”
His frustration, he added, was shared by several actors around the table.
But federal Immigration Minister Marc Miller quickly responded that the envelope was not used to finance the arrival of new temporary immigrants, but rather to compensate Quebec for the two years in which the province received a “disproportionate” number of asylum seekers.
Areas of expertise
However, Canadian prime ministers are likely to form a common front on another issue, namely federal encroachment into their areas of jurisdiction.
With its latest budget, Ottawa shamelessly stepped on the provinces’ toes, notably by announcing help for tenants and the construction of new housing.
This was in addition to the dental and drug insurance programs, which already constituted incursions into provincial areas of jurisdiction.
This week, the prime ministers wrote to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to set the table for their meeting.
“In order to revive the spirit of cooperation in the federation, we urge the federal government to refrain from adopting unilateral measures in areas of provincial or territorial jurisdiction, particularly in the areas of health care, education and housing,” said Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston, on behalf of his colleagues.
Total number of asylum applications processed
(January to May 2024)
- Ontario: 40,240
- Quebec: 28,165
- British Columbia: 4,390
- Alberta: 3,740
- Manitoba: 720
- Saskatchewan: 210
- Nova Scotia: 110
- New Brunswick: 100
- Newfoundland and Labrador 30
- Prince Edward Island 20
- Northwest Territories 5
- Nunavut 0
- Yukon –
Total 77,730
Sources: Canada Border Services Agency and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada