Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is saying no to granting Quebec full authority to Quebec over immigration, as the conflict between the province and Ottawa intensifies due to an increase of asylum seekers.
Trudeau met with Quebec Premier François Legault Friday morning in Montreal to talk about the issue.
Legault stated in the national assembly that he would urge the federal government to transfer all immigration powers to Quebec.
Trudeau was asked if he would be open to this. He replied in French with a clear “No.”
The prime minister mentioned that Quebec already has more authority over immigration than any other province to safeguard the French language.
Trudeau added that it’s not a matter of jurisdiction, but of finding solutions.
“We’ve had a larger number of temporary immigrants in Quebec but also across the country that we are having to deal with,” Trudeau said in a news conference following his meeting with Legault.
The Quebec premier held his own news conference shortly after and stated that he will keep pushing.
“I won’t stop asking for all the powers on immigration,” he told reporters. “Quebec is a nation. When you have 528,000 people coming to Quebec with 30 per cent or more not speaking French, many in Montreal, it has an impact, a clear impact in the percentage of francophones.”
Last year Quebec took in 160,51 asylum seekers — more than half of all those who enter Canada.
Quebec is asking Ottawa for $1 billion to deal with the influx, saying it’s placing a strain on housing and health care.
Trudeau says his government has already taken “strong measures” on immigration, including closing Roxham Road – the irregular border crossing point between New York state and Quebec – along with reinstating the visa requirement for Mexican nationals.
Quebec has requested more control over the number of new arrivals for years, but the premier is facing renewed pressure from the opposition.
The leader of the Parti Québécois, Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, is urging Legault to hold a referendum on the issue.
