Quebec Premier François Legault urged the federal government, led by Justin Trudeau, to limit the flow of asylum seekers to Canada, warning that Quebec is approaching a "breaking point."

Legault issued this warning in an official letter sent to Trudeau late yesterday, a copy of which was obtained by the Canadian Press.

"We are very close to a breaking point due to the excessive number of asylum seekers arriving in Quebec month after month. The situation has become unbearable," Legault wrote in his letter.

The Quebec Premier added that in 2022, Quebec received more asylum seekers than all other Canadian provinces combined, and that the closure of the Roxham Road in 2023 temporarily slowed this flow.

"However, the number of arrivals continued to rise at airports," Legault wrote, "and the number of people arriving on visitor visas and applying for asylum is increasing significantly."

During the first 11 months of 2023, approximately 60,000 new asylum seekers were recorded in Quebec, causing "very significant pressure" on services in the province, according to Legault.

"Asylum seekers struggle to find housing, which exacerbates the housing crisis. Many end up in overcrowded homeless shelters," Legault added, "and others are homeless, worsening an already acute problem, especially during the winter."

"Our schools are overcrowded, while we severely lack the teachers and facilities necessary to accommodate these thousands of children, most of whom do not speak French," the Premier of the only Canadian province with a French-speaking majority added in his letter to the federal Prime Minister.

Legault also reminded that while waiting for work permits, asylum seekers receive financial assistance from Quebec, namely social assistance, as their last resort.

In October, about 43,200 asylum seekers received $33 million from the Quebec government.

Thus, asylum seekers make up 16% of all social assistance recipients in Quebec.

In his letter to the federal Prime Minister, the Quebec Premier specifically targeted Mexican nationals who represent, he said, "an increasing proportion of asylum seekers arriving in Quebec."

"The ability to enter Canada from Mexico without a visa certainly explains part of the asylum seeker flow," Legault wrote, adding that Canadian airports, "especially in Toronto and Montreal," have become gateways for asylum seekers to Canada.

Therefore, "it is time to act," said the Quebec Premier, demanding that the federal government tighten its visa policy.

Legault also warned that the current "laxity" could lead to "loopholes exploited by criminal groups posing serious security challenges to Quebec and Canada."

Fair distribution of asylum seekers across provinces

Furthermore, Quebec’s Premier emphasized in his letter to the federal Prime Minister the need to distribute asylum seekers across Canada in a "fair" manner, "for example, by resuming the redistribution of asylum seekers to other provinces by bus."

Legault added that he expects the federal government to reimburse Quebec the $470 million spent on receiving and caring for asylum seekers in 2021 and 2022, and to do the same for subsequent years.

Legault concluded that "Quebec can no longer bear a disproportionate share of asylum seekers entering Canada" and that "this is an urgent and critically important issue."