The Quebec government said the federal government must do more to deal with asylum seekers crossing the border into Quebec.
Premier Philippe Couillard said the federal government's response to the situation is unacceptable after getting a letter raising questions about Quebec's temporary shelters.
Last year tens of thousands of migrants came into Canada outside of a border crossing station which meant that legally, there was no way to determine where they had come from.
Under international law, anyone can apply for asylum in any country that has signed the 1951 Refugee Convention, but under the Safe Third Country Agreement between Canada and the U.S., anyone seeking asylum at a border crossing between the two countries is refused and sent back to the other country to make their claim.
More than 6,000 asylum seekers have already arrived in Quebec this year, and Couillard said it was up to Ottawa to deal with this issue that is a federal jurisdiction.
"We will not let them escape this time," said Couillard with regards to federal responsibility.
Quebec has asked that Ottawa pay $146 million in compensation for taking care of the asylum seekers as they were processed and cared for as they began the preliminary steps of the application process.
"We have 2,500 kids added in our school system. It's the equivalent of five grade schools more. You cannot have this year after year after year. The system is just going to burst and that's real life and reality and this answer from the federal government is just unacceptable. They seem to be disconnected really from what's happening on the ground," said Couillard.
Quebec Immigration Minister David Heurtel meets his federal counterparts in Ottawa Wednesday evening.
Quebec is running four temporary housing shelters this year, while last year it opened 13, including at the Olympic Stadium, to deal with applicants.
Most of the people who applied for asylum in 2017 and have had their hearings have been rejected.
