The fate of a Nigerian family who spent a night outside in front of the metro with their three children, aged between 3 and 10, moved the opposition parties.
Liberal MP André A. Morin said he was “shocked” and “revolted” by the situation. “I can’t believe that in Quebec, in 2024, the administrative burden is so heavy that it will mean that a family who has nothing will be left to sleep in front of the metro. It makes no sense,” thundered the Official Opposition immigration spokesperson. “I have a question for the minister [de l’Immigration] and the Prime Minister: They don’t mind letting a family sleep outside? »
The duty revealed Friday that after being refused temporary accommodation by the Quebec government, a Nigerian family had spent the night of April 28 to April 29 in the street with three children, the eldest of whom is in a wheelchair.
Other families slept outside with children, including a father and his two boys, who slept in front of the offices of the Regional Program for the Reception and Integration of Asylum Seekers (PRAIDA), managed by the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MSSS).
Organizations, which ended up paying for hotels for these families, do not understand the rigidity of PRAIDA, which refuses any person who does not have acknowledgment of receipt of their asylum application. However, this precious sesame issued by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) can take a few days to arrive, sometimes more than a week.
“Inhuman”
“It is inhumane to welcome people to Quebec and not offer them services,” declared Pascal Bérubé, MP for Matane-Matapédia and spokesperson for the Parti Québécois on Immigration. “This situation shows us the flaws in the current asylum application system which has been sabotaged by the federal government and it is the asylum seekers themselves who are paying the price. »
Originally from Nigeria, the Aguamba family did not request asylum immediately upon arriving at the airport, fearing they would be immediately sent back on a flight. But in doing so, she did not know that she was depriving herself of immediate support from the federal government, which would have offered her accommodation. Instead, she had to apply online on the IRCC portal, complex procedures that take a few days to complete. In the meantime, without acknowledgment of receipt, asylum seekers are not accepted in the accommodation of the federal government and PRAIDA, it was confirmed to Duty.
Liberal MP André A. Morin says he understands the families who have to manage alone to accomplish these difficult procedures. “It’s not easy to fill out all the forms, they don’t necessarily have support and they are told to manage. They try, but the end of the day comes and they look for shelter, but the State tells them “no, go sleep outside!” “, he laments.
“The state has a role to play. He must show humanity. Sometimes you have to be able to exercise good judgment. We can say to ourselves that even if they don’t have the right ID, we’re still not going to leave them outside. The next day, we will work on finding the right paper. » He says he hopes that PRAIDA will relax its rules.
“Extremely sorry”
The Minister of Immigration, Christine Fréchette, said she was “extremely sorry” to learn that families of asylum seekers had slept on the street and saw it as a manifestation of the “unsustainable” nature of the influx of applicants. asylum.
“Quebec is a welcoming and generous nation,” she declared while participating in the Forum of Ministers Responsible for Immigration on Friday. “We have been saying it for months: the massive arrival of asylum seekers is no longer sustainable for our community organizations, our public services and housing. »
She took the opportunity to put pressure on the federal government so that it better distributes asylum seekers across Canada. “Quebec is proud to be able to welcome these people with the dignity they deserve, but the current situation is untenable. »