Legault wants to discuss asylum seekers at the Council of the Federation

Photo: Jacques Boissinot The Canadian Press Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, right, and Quebec Prime Minister François Legault meet in Quebec City on June 10, 2024.

The Canadian Press

Published at 11:05 a.m.

• Canada

The Prime Minister of Quebec, François Legault, wants to take advantage of the Council of the Federation meeting to raise awareness among his provincial and territorial counterparts about the situation of asylum seekers.

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Mr. Legault arrived in Halifax on Sunday for the three-day event in which the 13 prime ministers of Canadian provinces and territories meet. The Council is chaired by the Premier of Nova Scotia, Tim Houston.

Mr. Houston told reporters after a cabinet meeting last Thursday that the premiers would focus on “key issues” like affordability, housing and infrastructure.

But in a press scrum Monday morning, Prime Minister Legault indicated that he would address the situation of asylum seekers so that other provinces put pressure on the federal government to reduce their number by half.

“Obviously, we would like to move some to other provinces. There are provinces that are open, others that are not. But basically, we have to reduce the number of people who are accepted,” he told journalists.

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Mr. Legault said he had already started discussing the subject with his colleagues on Sunday evening.

“There are certain prime ministers who have a certain openness to looking at the possibility of transferring asylum seekers home, but it’s not simple,” he added, refusing to name the provinces in question.

In fact, the Nova Scotia premier said last week that he also expected to have conversations on relations between the provinces and the federal government .

A statement from the Newfoundland and Labrador executive council says premiers should continue discussions on “revitalizing cooperative federalism” in Canada.