Sébastien St-Jean Agence France-Presse The federal government has reported that more than 39,000 people claimed asylum in Quebec in 2022 after entering Canada outside official ports of entry, mainly through Roxham Road.
Immigration ministers from New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador have pledged to welcome refugee claimants who have entered Canada outside ports of entry official, mainly through the passage of Roxham Road in Quebec.
Following a meeting with provincial and territorial ministers in Halifax, federal Immigration Minister Sean Fraser said on Friday he was unable to put a figure on the number of asylum seekers that the Atlantic provinces could accommodate.
Mr. Fraser, who is the MP for the Nova Scotia riding of Central Nova, told reporters there was no mention of a cap as the region regularly exceeds its expectations when it comes to welcoming newcomers .
Nova Scotia Immigration Minister Jill Balser said the province has so far accepted 134 asylum seekers who have arrived in Quebec, and New Brunswick Immigration Minister Arlene Dunn said the province had accepted 57.
Newfoundland and Labrador Immigration Minister Gerry Byrne did not say whether the province had already accepted some of these applicants asylum, but he said she was ready to accept them in the next few days.
Fraser said the federal government is working with provinces to have newcomers complete skills questionnaires upon arrival “to signal the talents they have to contribute to the local economy.”
The 57 refugee claimants who have been sent to New Brunswick have already completed skills questionnaires, Fraser said.
Prince Edward Island, which concludes the first week of its provincial election campaign, was not represented at the meeting.
The transfer of asylum seekers to the Atlantic provinces comes as the Quebec government has claimed for months that it can no longer handle the influx of migrants entering Canada through an irregular border crossing at its border with New York State.
The federal government has reported that more than 39,000 people applied for asylum in Quebec in 2022 after entering Canada outside the ports of entry e officials, mainly through the passage of Roxham Road.
