(OTTAWA) Prime Minister Justin Trudeau thanked Quebec on Tuesday for having been “generous” in welcoming asylum seekers who take the now famous Roxham Road, south of Montreal, to enter the country.
“I want to emphasize how [le] Quebec, in particular, has been extraordinarily generous and present in this difficult situation. We recognize Quebec’s leadership in this, but we want to be in a situation where it’s not necessary, ”he said during a press briefing at an auto plant in Windsor, Ontario.
From January to November 2022, 34,478 asylum seekers were intercepted by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) between border crossings located in Quebec, i.e. almost all of those who entered Canada irregularly.
Mr Trudeau, who was called upon to comment on the discovery earlier this month of the body of a migrant trying to cross the border into the United States, said his government is “very concerned” and that this “underlines how much we must continue to work with our American partners to improve the situation”.
The Prime Minister reiterated that his government is working to modernize the safe third country agreement in order to “reduce these irregular passages and promote legal immigration”.
In mid-December, the federal Minister of Public Security, Marco Mendicino, told Radio-Canada that an agreement had been reached with the United States to reform the agreement, but Mr. Trudeau had almost immediately tempered the ardor of his minister.
Roxham Road is a popular unofficial crossing point for people who want to avoid being subject to the Canada-US Safe Third Country Agreement.
This agreement obliges asylum seekers to file their application in the first “safe” country they reach. In other words, Canadian customs officials turn away asylum seekers who present themselves at official checkpoints from the United States, but not when they cross irregularly at places like Roxham Road.
Quebec Premier François Legault argued last month that Trudeau had “good intentions” about Roxham Road, but that he “expects action” from his counterpart.
During a meeting between the two men, Mr. Legault said he pleaded that we must “stop the massive entry of immigrants by this route” and said he saw an “opening” for some of the applicants of asylum are transferred to other provinces.
According to the Premier of Quebec, the current situation represents a challenge in terms of francization, but also in terms of the health, education and housing services that must be offered.