The federal government is committed to working with Quebec to deal with the “significant number” of asylum seekers the province receives, says Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc.
LeBlanc made his comment on social media platform X today after the release of a letter Quebec Premier François Legault wrote to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
“We are very close to the breaking point due to the excessive number of asylum seekers arriving in Quebec month after month. The situation has become unsustainable,” the Premier wrote in the letter obtained by The Canadian Press.
Legault said Quebec took in more asylum seekers in 2022 than the rest of the country combined.
In his postings, LeBlanc acknowledged Quebec’s concerns.
“Over the past few years, Quebec has generously welcomed tens of thousands of asylum seekers. In fact, our government has recognized on more than one occasion that Quebec has done more than its share in welcoming and integrating people who seek refuge in Canada,” said the minister.
In addition to asking Trudeau to tighten his government’s policies around granting visas, Legault also wants Ottawa to reimburse Quebec the $470-million it spent on taking in asylum seekers in 2021 and 2022, and to do the same for subsequent years.
In response, LeBlanc said the federal government is taking Quebec’s financial request very seriously.
“We are committed to working with the government of Quebec to find solutions to the challenges posed by the significant number of asylum seekers that Quebec receives,” he wrote.
Also, the minister said the government is evaluating all possible measures to allow asylum seekers to travel to other provinces if they wish to do so.
