The Atlantic provinces have said that they are willing to take some of the asylum seekers who have been crossing into Canada at Roxham Road in Quebec after Quebec Premier Legault wrote to Prime Minister Trudeau saying Quebec could not take any more asylum seekers. He wanted the Trudeau government to send all new asylum seekers to other provinces. The Atlantic provinces are growing old fast as young people leave for greener pastures and desperately need workers in many fields, but especially in healthcare. The video at the url below discusses the issue.
Asylum seekers: Atlantic provinces willing to take some who crossed into Quebec
Thu, 2023-02-23 13:03
#1
Asylum seekers: Atlantic provinces willing to take some who crossed into Quebec
Thu, 2023-02-23 18:27
#2
Asylum seekers, like immigrants, generally don't come to Canada wanting to live in small towns with few amenities and terrible weather.
They want Toronto and Montreal and Vancouver. They want to be where their people already are (makes sense).
It's nice that the Atlantic provinces want to pump them in to work and take care of their old people since their young people apparently don't want to, but that might be a hard sell.
Thu, 2023-02-23 19:53
#3
There are some who will be willing to move to the Atlantic provinces because it will in many cases be far better than where they came from in terms of personal freedom and maybe economics. During the height of Covid a significant number of asylum seekers took jobs in the healthcare sector, especially in Quebec, in the hopes that showing they were willing to contribute to Canadian society would increase their chances of having them being accepted by the Canadian government. They did social and government support for staying in Canada. Some of the asylum seekers may well feel that working in Atlantic province that would support them in getting settled and going through the asylum process may be advantageous to them. Newfoundland sent two people to Poland to recruit Ukranian refugees to Newfoundland. This resulted in 300 people accepting the offer.
Thu, 2023-03-02 14:01
#4
Nova Scotia has already accepted 113 asylum seekers while New Brunswick has taken 18 so far.
More than one hundred asylum seekers who entered Canada through an irregular border crossing in southern Quebec have been transferred to Nova Scotia.
Nova Scotia Immigration Minister Jill Balser said Thursday 50 people had arrived in the province by bus since the day prior, for a total of 113.
The transfer of asylum seekers to Nova Scotia is in reaction to a request from Quebec, whose government has for months said it could no longer handle the influx of would-be refugees who are entering Canada through Roxham Road, an irregular border crossing on the border with New York state.
Balser said following a cabinet meeting that Nova Scotia is working closely with the federal government on accommodations, settlement needs and work permits for the asylum seekers, who are currently staying in hotels.
She said Ottawa will pay for asylum seekers to stay in hotels for up to 60 days, adding that she plans to work with community organizations to help them find longer-term housing.
The 113 people transferred to Nova Scotia entered Canada through Roxham Road from countries of origin that include Turkey, Haiti and Pakistan, among others, Balser said.
All four Atlantic premiers have expressed openness to bringing in some of the migrants who are crossing into southern Quebec through Roxham Road. Quebec Premier François Legault has pleaded with Ottawa to transfer to other provinces some of the tens of thousands of would-be refugees who have arrived in the province through that route.
To date, New Brunswick’s Immigration Department said 18 asylum seekers had been sent to that province. Premier Blaine Higgs said some 150 to 200 individuals could be transferred to New Brunswick.
The federal government has reported that more than 39,000 people claimed asylum in Quebec in 2022 after crossing into Canada outside official ports of entry, mostly through Roxham Road. Balser said Nova Scotia has not set a limit for how many asylum seekers it will welcome.
https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2023/03/02/ns-has-so-far-welcomed-63...
Thu, 2023-03-02 16:31
#5
Asylum seekers are unable to work until they do some intervirw with immigrations. I just read this morning the average is about a year between when they arrive and when they get their interview. Hopefully the Atlantic provinces can interview them sooner so they're not on the hook paying hotels and food for people for a year.