Quebec seeking Ottawa's help in paying for costs of asylum seekers
Quebec Immigration Minister Christine Frechette is keeping up the pressure on Ottawa to help with the costs of asylum seekers in the province.
"That is crucial, really, because we do not have the luxury of saying yes or no," said Frechette.
Quebec asked for $1 billion to meet education, housing and health-care needs, which a working group between the two levels of government will look into, but Frechette is accusing the federal government of passing the buck.
"When I look at the position the federal [government] is taking, it's as if there was a possibility for them to pay or not to pay, depending on their mood - that's not the way it goes," she said. "They do have to assume the consequences of their policies, and their policies generate a lot of expenses for Quebec."
Premier Francois Legault also wants to speed up processing from a year and a half to six months.
"I cannot imagine why it takes 18 months to know if it's a real aslyum seeker or not," he said on Friday.
Immigration is a shared jurisdiction, but there is a lot of tension over how to handle it.
In a letter to Frechette earlier this month, Canadian Immigration Minister Marc Miller said Ottawa would bypass Quebec's immigration cap to speed up family reunification.
"I've given instructions to process the requests for permanent residency and family reunification, which totals around 20,500 cases," he said.
"Imagine you're married, you have kids, and your spouse is being kept from you, for a number of years for absolutely no reason other than quotas that are imposed by the government in Quebec," said immigration lawyer Patrice Brunet.
Brunet believes these kinds of cases should not be subject to quotas.
Legault said Quebec will now have to look at other options on how to get more powers, and Parti Quebecois leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon suggested a referendum on immigration.
Legault and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau are set to meet again by June 30.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Prosecution rests in Donald Trump’s hush money case. The defence now gets its turn to call witnesses
Michael Cohen testified Monday that he stole tens of thousands of dollars from his ex-boss Donald Trump’s company, an admission defence lawyers hope to use to undermine Cohen’s credibility.
What is BORG drinking, and why is it a dangerous trend? An expert explains
If you've been to a party lately and haven't seen someone drinking a BORG, you're likely not partying with college students.
The world's best airline is paying staff a bonus of 8 months' salary
Singapore Airlines will reward its employees with a bonus worth nearly eight months of salary, a person familiar with the matter told CNN on Friday.
'The root cause': Canada outlines national action plan to fight auto theft
The federal government is launching what it calls its 'national action plan' to combat auto thefts, which will include stronger penalties for thieves, and increased information sharing between police agencies, government officials and border enforcement.
U.S. Supreme Court rejects appeal from former Guantanamo detainee Omar Khadr
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rejected an appeal by a Canadian-born former Guantanamo detainee who was seeking to wipe away his war crimes convictions, including for killing a U.S. soldier in Afghanistan.
Red Lobster probes 'endless shrimp' losses after bankruptcy filing
U.S.-based restaurant chain Red Lobster has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in a Florida court after securing $100 million in financing commitments from its existing lenders, the company said on Sunday.
Katy Perry sings goodbye to 'American Idol'
Katy Perry said her goodbyes on 'American Idol' after seven seasons. On Sunday night’s live 'idol' season finale, a medley of Perry's hit songs were performed, including 'Teenage Dream,' 'Dark Horse' and 'California Gurls.'
McGill says pro-Palestinian protest outside senior administrator's home 'crosses the line'
McGill University has denounced a pro-Palestinian protest held Sunday outside the home of one of its senior administrators.
'Next man up': Canucks coach, teammates bracing for Game 7 without Brock Boeser
Questions about how the team is going to handle the absence of star winger Brock Boeser from a do-or-die game seven dominated pre-game interviews with the Vancouver Canucks coach and players Monday morning.