Ottawa does not take François Legault seriously, considers PQ leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, who doubts that sending an official letter to Justin Trudeau will change anything on Roxham Road.
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Reacting to the letter sent Sunday by the Premier of Quebec to his federal counterpart – the content of which was first revealed by Le Journal on Monday – the leader of the Parti Québécois recalled that the Legault government is not at its first. involvement in this case.
“Prime Minister Legault and his immigration minister held multiple meetings, challenged the United States and even asked Justin Trudeau to tweet, with the results we know,” said Mr. St-Pierre. Plamondon.
“The truth is that he is not taken seriously by Ottawa and that his inability to even name the possibility of our independence gives us no balance of power,” continued the leader of the sovereignist party.
“We would like a letter to make the difference, but at this stage, the independence of Quebec is a more plausible eventuality than that of the autonomy of Quebec in Canada,” added the deputy for Camille-Laurin. .
Safe Third Country Agreement
For the Liberal Party of Quebec and Quebec solidaire, the solution lies in the renegotiation of the Safe Third Country Agreement between Canada and the United States, which pushes asylum seekers to go through Roxham Road rather than at a regular border post.
The two parties also agree that the other Canadian provinces must contribute equitably to the reception of asylum seekers.
“It is first and foremost a human issue, we are talking about families, women, children, who must be welcomed with dignity,” reacted Liberal MP Monsef Derraji.
“Everyone agrees on the importance of a fair distribution with the other provinces when it comes to welcoming refugees. It is in everyone’s interest, but it must absolutely not be done by forcing people, ”commented the parliamentary leader of Quebec solidaire, Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois.
Other Provinces
Recall that in his missive to Justin Trudeau, François Legault demands that in the future, all migrants using Roxham Road be redirected to other Canadian provinces, whether they speak French or not. “Because Quebec has provided more than its share of effort in recent years,” said the Premier.
In an interview with LCN, the Minister responsible for Canadian Relations, Jean-François Roberge, hammered home that the renegotiation of the Safe Third Country Agreement must be Justin Trudeau’s “number one priority” when he meets President Biden. , next month.
“A country cannot lose control of its border and not worry about it,” insisted the minister.
“It’s time for the other provinces to do their part as well,” said Mr. Roberge, noting in passing that migrants using Roxham Road “are not necessarily coming to Quebec: they are coming to Canada” .
However, according to Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois, “many refugees come to Quebec to find their families and this is a key factor for integration into the labor market, in particular,” he declared.