The federal government announced the allocation of $362.4 million to facilitate the reception of asylum seekers. Included in this amount is $100 million for the province of Quebec, which had requested $470 million from Ottawa.

Federal Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, Marc Miller, said that the total amount mentioned serves as an enhancement to the Temporary Housing Assistance Program (PALP / IHAP). This program provides funding to provinces and municipalities to cover costs related to temporary housing for asylum seekers.

Quebec had previously received under this program $374 million for the period 2017 - 2020, and $66.9 million for the period 2021 - 2022.

Miller did not specify the amount that will be allocated to the City of Toronto, the capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada, but he clarified that an announcement in this regard will be issued in the coming days.

"Certainly, money alone will not be enough. (...) It is clear that Quebec and Ontario are doing more than their share relative to their populations," said the federal Minister of Immigration.

Miller added that there are more efforts that the federal government needs to make to help the provinces face the challenge of the increasing number of asylum seekers arriving in Canada.

In this regard, Miller hinted that his Liberal government may reconsider a previous decision that exempted Mexican citizens since 2016 from the requirement to obtain a visa to enter Canadian territory. Informed sources had told Radio Canada about this intention of the government.

Miller did not specify the amount that will be allocated to the City of Toronto, the capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada, but he clarified that an announcement in this regard will be issued in the coming days.

"Certainly, money alone will not be enough. (...) It is clear that Quebec and Ontario are doing more than their share relative to their populations," said the federal Minister of Immigration.

Miller added that there are more efforts that the federal government needs to make to help the provinces face the challenge of the increasing number of asylum seekers arriving in Canada.

In this regard, Miller hinted that his Liberal government may reconsider a previous decision that exempted Mexican citizens since 2016 from the requirement to obtain a visa to enter Canadian territory. Informed sources had told Radio Canada about this intention of the government.

"We are working with Quebec and will continue to do so," Miller confirmed, "The funds announced are a large amount and will help with housing needs."

However, what the federal Minister of Immigration and Refugees announced does not satisfy the Quebec government, as explained by the Minister of Immigration, Francization and Integration in the Quebec government, Christine Fréchette.

"We will feel satisfied on the day the federal government compensates us for all the areas where we have borne very high expenses and when other measures are taken. We expect the federal government to compensate us $470 million, but also to change its visa administration to reduce the flow of asylum seekers," Fréchette said during television interviews.