(Montreal) The debate on Roxham Road in Quebec is taking a “worrying” turn, said Québec solidaire (QS) co-spokesperson Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois.
He denounces the political “one-upmanship”, in particular the tweet from the Bloc Québécois on Friday which asserts that Quebec is not an “all-inclusive”.
In recent weeks, the Parti Québécois had also suggested calling the police and creating an “enclave” to block the way for migrants.
“I’m worried about the escalation that we are currently witnessing,” said Mr. Nadeau-Dubois on the sidelines of the QS National Council in Montreal on Sunday.
“People who come to Quebec to apply for asylum are people who are fleeing violence, exploitation and persecution. Not a lot of people want to take it easy,” he added.
According to him, “these comparisons have no place”.
The question was raised in a press briefing after the QS candidate in Saint-Henri–Sainte-Anne, immigration lawyer Guillaume Cliche-Rivard, mentioned Roxham Road in a speech.
He declared to the QS delegates who were gathered at Ahuntsic College that talking about erecting “walls, police blockades at the border in 2023” had “no common sense”.
Last year, a record number of 39,171 asylum seekers were intercepted at Roxham Road, an unofficial entry point located in Saint-Bernard-de-Lacolle, in Montérégie.
The Caquist government of François Legault demands that Ottawa assume the costs incurred and that it renegotiates with the administration of American President Joe Biden the agreement on safe third countries.
QS proposes to suspend the agreement on safe third countries, the time to renegotiate it. This would make it possible to apply for asylum at any Canadian border entry point, according to Mr. Cliche-Rivard.