(Ottawa) Closing Roxham Road, as demanded by the Legault government, is not the solution to the problem of migrants who cross the Canada-US border irregularly, says Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Posted at 2:52 p.m.
Updated at 3:31 p.m.
Such a measure would only move the problem to another entry point on the border, argued the Prime Minister on Thursday.
“If we closed Roxham Road, people would go elsewhere. We have a huge border. We are not going to start arming or putting fences on it, ”said Mr. Trudeau after a meeting with the Prime Minister of Latvia, Krišjānis Kariņš.
“So if there are people who are going to arrive irregularly, we can at least control them, we can at least do security checks, we can at least make sure that they are not lost in the inside Canada,” added Mr. Trudeau.
He added that his government is continuing talks with the United States to implement changes to the Safe Third Country Agreement.
On Wednesday, Quebec Premier François Legault demanded that Ottawa proceed without delay to close Roxham Road, which he said has become a “sieve” allowing the entry of more than 100 migrants a day.
This request came as Quebec predicts that nearly 35,000 migrants could take this route to cross the Canada-US border in an irregular manner — an unacceptable situation that puts a strain on the reception and integration capacities of the Quebec, according to Mr. Legault.
At a press conference on Thursday, Mr. Trudeau reiterated that the federal government is quite willing to continue to give Quebec a financial boost in this file.
Upcoming changes
Under the Safe Third Country Agreement, only individuals who claim asylum at an official border crossing are returned to the United States. The Press reported in December that Ottawa wanted to plug the breach that became Roxham Road, located in Saint-Bernard-de-Lacolle.
Amendments to this agreement will give Canadian authorities the power to return a refugee claimant to the United States, regardless of whether they present themselves at an official port of entry on the Canada-United States border to make this claim or he deposits it after having crossed the border in an irregular way by taking the Roxham road, for example.
But before implementing this new agreement, the Minister of Public Safety, Marco Mendicino, and Mr. Fraser must pass the relevant regulations implementing the changes. Their American counterparts must do the same. And in Washington, this file is far from being a priority.
“We continue to have very good conversations with the Americans on the Safe Third Country Agreement. Obviously for the Americans, their context affects their two very different borders. But they want to try to have some equivalence or reasonable approach for their whole territory,” he explained.
He added that his government’s course of action will be based on “compassion and our international responsibilities”.
“I understand that this concerns many people and it brings some controversy for certain political parties. But the reality is that we are a country where we follow rules, where people who arrive here make declarations as asylum seekers have the right to have their file analyzed and so that is what we facilitate. »
In defense of the Bank of Canada
The Prime Minister also called “discouraging” the attack launched by Conservative MP Pierre Poilievre against the Governor of the Bank of Canada, Tiff Macklem, during the debate of the candidates who seek the leadership of the Conservative Party on Wednesday evening in Edmonton.
During this debate in English, Mr. Poilievre promised to fire the governor, accusing him of having adopted a monetary policy that fuels inflation in the country.
According to Mr. Trudeau, Mr. Poilievre is thus attacking “a highly reputable institution internationally” which is “recognized for not only its rigor and professionalism, but for its independence from political machinations”.
“It is an important pillar of our success and our economic profile internationally. […] The fact that there is a candidate for the leadership of the second largest party in the House of Commons of Canada who does not understand this or who chooses not to understand this is saddening. This is a sign of a lack of responsible leadership. »