Quebec Premier François Legault wants an announcement on Roxham Road following the meeting of his Canadian counterpart, Justin Trudeau, with US President Joe Biden. The latter is visiting the country this Thursday evening for a whirlwind 24-hour visit.
“We have worked very hard in recent weeks to ensure that Mr. Trudeau puts this on top of his pile, therefore in his priorities with Mr. Biden. I think it’s important for Quebecers that this subject be addressed and then eventually settled, ”said Mr. Legault, Thursday, during a press scrum.
On Wednesday, the Canadian prime minister mentioned a possible announcement about Roxham Road that would be made during the visit of the American president to Ottawa. This crossing point located in Montérégie is not included in the Safe Third Country Agreement because it is irregular. Under this agreement, an asylum seeker who attempts to enter Canada from the United States by land must be returned to American soil.
François Legault wants this agreement to be renegotiated in order to close Roxham Road. “At some point, we have to say that Quebec has reached and even exceeded its reception capacity,” he insisted for the umpteenth time.
Last year, a total of 39,171 asylum seekers were intercepted at this irregular crossing route.
“We see that in March, we reached 58% of new arrivals by Roxham who are sent outside Quebec. But this is still not enough,” added the Premier of Quebec.
During a press briefing held Thursday morning, PQ MP Pascal Bérubé called for the closure of this irregular passageway. “There are regular crossing points. It is also a question of fairness for people who apply to come and immigrate to Quebec,” he pointed out.
Liberal MP Frédéric Beauchemin said he hoped that a “more equitable solution for Quebec” would emerge from this meeting between Joe Biden and Justin Trudeau.
For her part, the co-spokesperson for Québec solidaire, Manon Massé, wishes to suspend the safe third country agreement. This agreement “forces a number of people not to go through border crossings and then to places like Roxham Road”, she argued.
Further details will follow.