Premiers Call on Ottawa to Provide Fair Share of Support for Hosting Asylum Seekers
The premiers of Ontario, Quebec, Alberta, and New Brunswick have called for the federal government to provide them with more assistance to deal with immigrants and asylum seekers, who they say are putting strains on housing, social services, and provincial finances.
“When it comes to asylum seekers, both Quebec and Ontario bear the brunt of it. We’re just asking the federal government to give our fair share,” Ontario Premier Doug Ford said during a press conference on July 17 following the premiers’ annual summer meeting.
Mr. Ford said while the city of Toronto alone had
received $162 million
from Ottawa in 2024 to support asylum seekers, his government spent over $1 billion on them. He said the government needed to speed up working visas for asylum seekers, “rather than sticking them in a hotel.”
received $162 million
from Ottawa in 2024 to support asylum seekers, his government spent over $1 billion on them. He said the government needed to speed up working visas for asylum seekers, “rather than sticking them in a hotel.”
“They’re really good folks, but we have to make sure we have shelter, we need homes for them, so we really need the support from the federal government,” he said.
Quebec Premier François Legault told reporters it was “not fair” that Quebec had
received $750 million
from the federal government in 2024 for asylum seekers, while other provinces had received no money. “I would prefer to receive less [money] in the future and have less asylum seekers,” he said.
received $750 million
from the federal government in 2024 for asylum seekers, while other provinces had received no money. “I would prefer to receive less [money] in the future and have less asylum seekers,” he said.
