Quebec Premier François Legault has called on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to slow the influx of asylum seekers into the province, saying the province is nearing a “breaking point.”
Legault made the request in an official letter to Prime Minister Trudeau on Wednesday afternoon, a copy of which was obtained by The Canadian Press.
“We are very close to breaking point because the number of asylum seekers arriving in Quebec every month is too high. The situation is becoming unsustainable,” Legault wrote.
He said Quebec accepted more asylum seekers in 2022 than the rest of the country combined.
The closure of the unofficial Wroxham Road intersection south of Montreal in 2023 slowed the flow “temporarily,” he said.
“However, the number of arrivals at the airport continues to rise. There has also been a significant increase in the number of people arriving on tourist visas and applying for asylum.”
Nearly 60,000 new asylum seekers were registered in Quebec in the first 11 months of 2023, putting “extraordinary pressure” on services, the premier wrote.
“Asylum seekers are struggling to find a place to live, further exacerbating the housing crisis,” the letter said. “A lot of people end up in homeless shelters, and homeless shelters are overflowing.”
He said organizations supporting asylum seekers were unable to keep up with demand. Legault said asylum-seeker children are also putting a strain on schools, which are already short on teachers and space.
The prime minister reminded Trudeau that asylum seekers waiting for work permits receive financial assistance from the province of Quebec. Last October, approximately 43,200 asylum seekers received $33 million in aid.
Legault expressed particular concern about Mexicans, saying they make up an increasing proportion of asylum seekers coming to the state.
“The possibility of entering Canada from Mexico without a visa certainly explains some of the influx of asylum seekers,” he said.
“Airports in Toronto and Montreal in particular are becoming a sieve, and it’s time to act,” he added.
Legault has formally asked the prime minister to strengthen visa policies. He also calls for a “fair” distribution of asylum seekers across Canada, perhaps by transporting asylum seekers to other provinces by bus.
He’s calling on Ottawa to repay the $470 million Quebec spent hosting asylum seekers in 2021 and 2022 and do the same thereafter.
“Quebec is no longer in a position to welcome the disproportionate number of asylum seekers entering Canada,” he concluded. “This is an urgent and most important issue.”
Prime Minister Trudeau on Tuesday reiterated his government’s commitment to admitting 500,000 new permanent immigrants a year by 2025.
But he told the Greater Montreal Chamber of Commerce that he wants the government to tighten its control over temporary immigrants, such as international students and temporary workers, who have a greater impact on the housing crisis.
Prime Minister Trudeau called on higher education institutions and businesses to find their own housing solutions for these temporary residents.
