Rising number of asylum seekers: Legault wants to see federal leaders’ plan

Quebec Premier François Legault responds to the opposition during question period at the Quebec National Assembly, Thursday, April 24, 2025. (Jacques Boissinot/The Canadian Press)

With just a few days to go before the federal election, Quebec Premier François Legault is reiterating his call for federal leaders to come up with a plan to halve the number of temporary residents in Quebec.

More than 2,000 asylum seekers arrived at the Saint-Bernard-de-Lacolle border crossing in April.

“I think Quebecers have the right to know from the federal leaders by Monday: what are they doing to stop the flow of 2,000 in less than a month? And what are they doing to halve the number of temporary residents we have in Quebec?” the premier told a press scrum at the National Assembly on Thursday.

This influx of asylum seekers is linked to U.S. President Donald Trump’s deportation policies.

“I understand these people saying, ‘I’m going to go live in Quebec to improve my life.’ They are worried about what Donald Trump is saying in the United States. But Quebec has already exceeded its reception capacity,” said Legault.

Liberal leader Mark Carney has already stated that it was “appropriate” to return asylum seekers to the United States because of the Safe Third Country Agreement.

Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre, on the other hand, has said that only “genuine asylum seekers” should be selected. He also pledged to work with Quebec to halve the number of temporary immigrants on its territory.

The Conservative leader also promised to give Quebec the power to select the majority of temporary foreign workers under the International Mobility Programme (IMP) — a promise welcomed by Legault.

The premier keeps hammering home the point that Quebec’s capacity to receive immigrants has been exceeded and that migrants are putting pressure on housing and public services.

There are 600,000 temporary residents in Quebec.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on April 24, 2025.