Quebec premier floats idea of 'waiting zones' in Canada for asylum seekers
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.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Iran fires dozens of missiles into Israel as retaliation for killing of Hezbollah and Hamas leaders
Iran said it fired dozens of missiles into Israel on Tuesday, a sharp escalation of the monthslong conflict between Israel and the Iran-backed militias Hezbollah and Hamas.
Canada to impose 25 per cent surtax on select Chinese-made steel and aluminum products
Canada will be imposing a 25 per cent surtax on select imports of steel and aluminum from China, after unveiling its final list of impacted products on Tuesday.
At least 6 dead in suspected terror attack in Tel Aviv
At least six people were killed and nine wounded in a suspected shooting and stabbing terror attack in Tel Aviv on Tuesday, Israeli police said.
Protection against RSV coming soon for all infants in Ontario, Quebec, Nunavut
This fall and winter, Ontario, Quebec and Nunavut will offer the newer monoclonal antibody nirsevimab — approved by Health Canada in the spring of 2023 — to all babies going through their first RSV season.
Hoggard takes stand in sex assault trial, denies that he raped complainant
Canadian musician Jacob Hoggard denies that he raped the woman who is accusing him of sexual assault, or that he touched her sexually in any way without her consent.
Boris Johnson claims in memoir Queen Elizabeth II had bone cancer
Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has controversially broken royal protocol and claimed in his upcoming memoir that Queen Elizabeth II was suffering from bone cancer before her death.
W5 Investigates Riding Mexico's notorious 'Train of Death': A migrant lifeline and a death trap
In the second part of a five-part series, W5's Avery Haines follows the journeys of migrants who risk life and limb to ride atop Mexican freight trains, desperate to avoid narco territory as they make their way towards the U.S. border.
A cruise ship bound on a round-the-world voyage leaves Belfast after a 4-month delay
A cruise ship taking passengers on a 3-and-a-half-year around-the-world voyage finally sailed from Belfast's dockside, after spending four months stuck in the Northern Ireland capital.
Minimum wage in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, P.E.I. increases
The minimum wage in four provinces is going up today.