Canada’s premiers have agreed to Quebec’s request to stand together and call on the federal government to more evenly distribute asylum seekers across the country.
But Quebec Premier François Legault wouldn’t say on Tuesday which provinces have accepted to take on more would-be refugees.
He told reporters at a meeting in Halifax of Canada’s premiers that Quebec can no longer support the high number of asylum seekers who have arrived in recent years.
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Legault says other provinces showed an “openness” to taking in more, but he wouldn’t name them.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and B.C. Premier David Eby both said during a Tuesday press conference that they’re already facing similar pressure from immigration, and didn’t commit to taking more people.
Legault said he hopes asylum seekers could be transferred from Quebec to other provinces in the coming months, and warned that the return of former U.S. president Donald Trump to the White House could lead to a new influx of would-be refugees.
Statistics Canada says there were 597,000 non-permanent residents in Quebec in the second quarter of 2024, including 190,000 asylum seekers.
© 2024 The Canadian Press
