Quebec Premier François Legault is calling on the federal government to close Roxham Road because Quebec “lacks the capacity” to accommodate all the migrants who use it, he said.
At a press briefing on Wednesday, the Quebec Premier claimed to have delivered this message to Justin Trudeau’s government: at some point, it’s not even a question of money, it’s impossible.
On Tuesday, we learned about the signing, of Quebec, of a contract worth nearly $ 50 million so that asylum seekers, coming through Roxham Road, could be placed in an area whose location has not yet been disclosed.
In addition, Mr. Legault criticized Ottawa for applying an unreasonable processing time for the files of these asylum seekers.
While standing, Roxham Road had to be closedadded the Minister of Immigration, Francisation and Integration of Quebec, Jean Boulet.
According to him, this passage is located in Saint-Bernard-de-Lacolle has become a strainer that allows so many people to come to Quebec and not benefit from a welcome that is dignified and humane.
In Ottawa, Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino said it’s important to find a balance in this file between, on the one hand, defending the rights of refugees and, on the other hand, the need to protect everyone in Quebec.
While announcing stricter measures for arms procurement on Wednesday, Minister Mendicino called the Roxham Road file a Very important. Negotiations are underway with the U.S. government, he said, with the goal of concluding a new agreement to regulate the movement of asylum seekers.
On Wednesday, together with Minister Boulet, the Parti Québécois (PQ) filed a motion calling on the National Assembly:
- demanding the closure of Roxham Road;
- calls for the passage of migrants through regular channels, i.e., border crossings, across Canada;
- calls on the federal government to suspend the Safe Third Country Agreement.
An administrative burden
At a press briefing, the head of the PQ, Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, confirmed that his formation had requested, about five years ago, the suspension of the Agreement between safe third countries. Close Roxham and amend this Agreement, Just the sameaccording to him, because it will have the effect of directing all asylum seekers to border crossings.
According to the head of the PQ, the ten-year lease that Quebec has just signed for asylum seekers in Montreal illustrates that the Coalition avenir Québec (CAQ) government is not seriously at its request to close Roxham Road. To the limit, sign an agreement for this summer, he argues. [Mais] the government promised itself for ten years.
Mr. St-Pierre Plamondon also criticized Ottawa for imposing it on Quebec an disorganized and chaotic manner.
” That we encourage illegal crossings in Quebec alone and that it reaches tens and tens of thousands of entries, each year, is to burden Quebec as an administrative burden. […] which is meaningless. “
But, in opposition, the PQ’s view is not shared.
For Québec solidaire (QS) parliamentary leader Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois, there is no solvable problem if Roxham Road is closed. Quebec needs to be able to talk about these things without falling into simple solutions and intellectual shortcuts.he said.
On the side of the Liberal Party of Quebec (PLQ), MP Carlos Leitao considers that he would be highly counterproductive […] to close Roxham Road. We closed it and then what? We’ll just move the problem somewhere else.
With information from Alex Boissonneault
Source: Radio-Canada
