Quebec premier floats idea of ‘waiting zones’ in Canada for asylum seekers

By The Canadian Press on October 1, 2024.

PARIS – Quebec Premier François Legault says his government has asked Ottawa to set up “waiting zones” for asylum seekers, as is the practice in France.

Legault told reporters during a press conference today in Paris that Canada should take inspiration from the European country.

The premier says Quebec is home to 45 per cent of asylum seekers in Canada, and wants the federal government to better distribute would-be refugees across the country.

Former Quebec immigration minister Christine Fréchette sent a letter to Ottawa in July calling on the government to set up a secure transition site to hold asylum seekers before they are transferred around Canada.

But federal Immigration Minister Marc Miller says Legault is using immigration for political ends and that the idea of waiting zones is completely different from anything that has been conceived in Canada.

Asylum seekers arriving in France can be placed in waiting zones for up to 26 days.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 1, 2024.

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