OTTAWA – Bloc Québécois, New Democratand Liberal MPs are criticizing a Conservative colleague for refusing to help a Quebec family facing deportation and calling them “illegal refugees.”
Quebec MP Richard Martel made the comment in a Radio-Canada interviewpublished Tuesday as he discussed the case of a family from El Salvador who entered Canada several years ago via Roxham Road, an unofficial border crossing south of Montreal, and now live in his Chicoutimi riding.
Thousands of asylum seekers have entered Canada through that area in recent years and then made a refugee claim, whereas those coming through official ports of entry are forbidden from doing so under the Safe Third Country Agreement with the United States.
Bloc MP Mario Simard said Martel, who did not immediately respond to a request for comment, should not have labelled the family “illegal,” adding that he has worked with the federal immigration minister to help the family avoid deportation.
Simard, speaking in French, called on Martel to apologize and said he wants to see Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre make it clear that “illegal immigrants” don’t exist.
Issues around Roxham Road can be discussed while still showing people humanity, he added.
A spokesman for the party who was asked for comment from Poilievre instead provided a statement by Quebec Lieutenant Pierre Paul-Hus, who said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has “opened the floodgates to unlawful entry” as he fails to address an immigration application backlog.
Conservatives support having an “open, inclusive and diverse country, but also one that protects our borders, respects the rule of law and promotes safety,” the statement said.
“Our members of Parliament assist people of all walks of life and support Canadians who are left behind by the Trudeau government while standing for a fair and compassionate immigration system.”
Paul-Hus’s statement did not address Martel’s decision not to assist the family because of their immigration status.
“I would certainly hope that no one would ever discriminate on the basis of refugee status,” Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino told The Canadian Press during a year-end interview.
“This is one way in which we can stand up for human rights. Canada’s a beacon when it comes to welcoming refugees.”
Marc Miller, the minister of Crown-Indigenous relations and a Montreal-area MP, tweeted in French that Martel’s comments lacked “humanity and compassion.”
Quebec NDP MP Alexandre Boulerice said if Poilievre is sincere about his recent outreach to cultural communities, he should send a clear message to his MPs “to treat all the refugees equally.”
In his first three months as leader, Poilievre has made several trips to the Greater Toronto Area and travelled to Vancouver to meet with new Canadians and members of newcomer communities whose support the Conservatives want to harness.
One of the messages Poilievre has driven home is that the federal party supports immigration and the idea of achieving a Canadian dream through hard work.
“This is really hypocritical,” Boulerice said Tuesday. “If he’s sincere, he’s going to send a clear message to all his MPs to offer services to everyone who needs it.”
Boulerice added that Martel’s response to the family’s request for help is “not a human way to to treat people.”
Rudy Husny, a Conservative leadership candidate in the party’s 2020 race and political analyst, said in an email that the challenge for Poilievre is striking the right balance “between being compassionate, enforcing the rules and having a fair immigration system.”
“Mr. Poilievre needs to find this balance to win the hearts and minds of Canadians,” Husny said.
Husny pointed out that the Roxham Road crossing remains a major issue in Quebec, with Premier François Legault telling reporters it was among the issues he raised on Tuesday when he spoke to Trudeau, who spent the day in Montreal.
He said that so far this year, 36,000 people have crossed into the province using Roxham Road, saying that places extra pressure on the province’s public services.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 20, 2022.
– With files from Jim Bronskill.
