François Legault’s call for help from other provinces to welcome asylum seekers arriving in Quebec has been partly heard.
Manitoba raised its hand on Wednesday to receive some, as did other provinces, requesting financial assistance from the federal government, but there is no rush to help Quebec.
For several months, on all platforms, Prime Minister Legault has deplored the fact that Quebec welcomes almost half of the asylum seekers in the country, while its demographic weight in the country is equivalent to 22%.
There were 190,000 in Quebec in the second quarter of this year. Immigration is a shared jurisdiction between Quebec and Ottawa, but it is the federal government that is in charge of asylum seekers.
“We would be ready to welcome newcomers, especially from the French-speaking world,” said Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew at the closing press conference of the Council of the Federation meeting, which was being held in Halifax until Wednesday.
But he did not specify how many might come to settle in Manitoba.
He said his province needs help from the federal government to build more affordable housing and better fund health services.
“If the federal government is there to help us, we may be able to collaborate with either Quebec or the other provinces to improve this situation.”
Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Andrew Furey also suggested his province was prepared to accept a number of asylum seekers that corresponded to its proportion of the population in the Canadian federation.
“Maybe Newfoundland and Labrador doesn’t take in as many as it should,” he said.
In addition, some provinces also grumbled, as Ottawa paid $750 million to Quebec to cover the costs incurred by welcoming asylum seekers.
“It’s not fair that Quebec receives this amount and not the other provinces,” Legault acknowledged. “I would prefer to receive less money and receive fewer asylum seekers.”
Asked to comment and indicate how many asylum seekers they would be willing to receive, other premiers were much more vague. Ontario and Alberta suggested they were already doing their part.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said her province represents 12 per cent of Canada’s population but receives 22 per cent of total immigration to the country, a calculation that takes into account more than just asylum seekers.
“We want to do our part, but it puts pressure on housing, […]education,” she argued.
For his part, his Ontario counterpart, Doug Ford, also pointed out that the massive reception of new arrivals, including thousands of asylum seekers each month, cost his government $1 billion per year, while it only received $162 million from the federal government.
He is demanding that the federal government process work permit applications more quickly rather than parking applicants in hotels to wait.
“It’s heartbreaking,” he said.
New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs also argued that his province already welcomes many immigrants.
In particular, he calls for more clarity and consistency from the federal government in the admission and selection of new arrivals.
“We have to find the balance [entre l’accueil des immigrants] and the construction of new housing,” he said.
The day before, François Legault had succeeded in obtaining a common front from the provinces: they are all asking the federal government for a “fair distribution” and “control” of asylum seekers based on the capacity of each province and territory to provide housing and services.
In the second quarter of this year, according to Statistics Canada, Quebec welcomed a total of 597,000 non-permanent residents, already 47,000 more than the previous quarter. For comparison, in the second quarter of 2023, there were 421,000.
“We are not able to integrate these people, we lack housing, we lack staff, many are in Montreal and do not speak French,” Mr. Legault lamented Tuesday.
Among the total number of non-permanent residents, there are 190,000 asylum seekers and 407,000 holders of work and study permits, and their family members.
Under a Canada-Quebec agreement signed in 1991, Quebec controls the volume of entry of its future permanent residents, economic immigrants, as well as their integration and francization. Economic immigration represented 66% of permanent immigration in 2022.
The federal government deals with refugees, family reunification and citizenship issues.
Quebec can receive a percentage of the total number of immigrants arriving in Canada that is equivalent to the proportion of its population within the federation. At present, Quebec’s demographic weight is approximately 22.3% of the Canadian population.
Federal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had already said that Quebec had the “full capacity” to welcome 112,000 immigrants per year, or just over 22% of the target of 500,000 permanent immigrants that his government wants to welcome per year by 2025.