John Rustad has slammed Justin Trudeau for forcing BC to accept 22,000 asylum seekers "without support" in the midst of a housing crisis.The Conservative leader called on the Liberals to step up and ensure those coming to the province will have the resources they need and not put more stress on an already frail system."Justin Trudeau and his Liberal government are dumping thousands of asylum seekers on BC without a plan or funding, all while our province grapples with an unprecedented housing crisis," Rustad said in a press release. "We are a welcoming province, but Trudeau's failure to provide the necessary resources is a betrayal of both the newcomers and the communities already struggling to make ends meet."He urged the federal government to, "step up, provide the support necessary, and address the backlog of asylum claims that their failed policies have created," adding that, "the BC Conservatives will fight to protect our communities and demand accountability from Ottawa."The 22,000 number was calculated by taking the number of people BC would have to accept were it proportionate to population, and subtracting the 11,421 current open asylum claims.During a press conference at the Liberals' caucus retreat in Nanaimo, Immigration Minister Marc Miller pushed back against the claims that the federal government would not be providing financial compensation to provinces who take in migrants."In no circumstances will we be doing this without compensation or without consent from the provinces," he said. Earlier this year, Miller said Canada, "need[s] provinces like British Columbia to step up when it comes to actually apportioning asylum seekers," noting that funding would only come when more people were accepted.His comments came after Premier David Eby questioned why BC wasn't getting any of the $750 million being given to Quebec to deal with resettlement. La Belle Province and Ontario take in the vast majority of asylum seekers entering Canada.
John Rustad has slammed Justin Trudeau for forcing BC to accept 22,000 asylum seekers "without support" in the midst of a housing crisis.The Conservative leader called on the Liberals to step up and ensure those coming to the province will have the resources they need and not put more stress on an already frail system."Justin Trudeau and his Liberal government are dumping thousands of asylum seekers on BC without a plan or funding, all while our province grapples with an unprecedented housing crisis," Rustad said in a press release. "We are a welcoming province, but Trudeau's failure to provide the necessary resources is a betrayal of both the newcomers and the communities already struggling to make ends meet."He urged the federal government to, "step up, provide the support necessary, and address the backlog of asylum claims that their failed policies have created," adding that, "the BC Conservatives will fight to protect our communities and demand accountability from Ottawa."The 22,000 number was calculated by taking the number of people BC would have to accept were it proportionate to population, and subtracting the 11,421 current open asylum claims.During a press conference at the Liberals' caucus retreat in Nanaimo, Immigration Minister Marc Miller pushed back against the claims that the federal government would not be providing financial compensation to provinces who take in migrants."In no circumstances will we be doing this without compensation or without consent from the provinces," he said. Earlier this year, Miller said Canada, "need[s] provinces like British Columbia to step up when it comes to actually apportioning asylum seekers," noting that funding would only come when more people were accepted.His comments came after Premier David Eby questioned why BC wasn't getting any of the $750 million being given to Quebec to deal with resettlement. La Belle Province and Ontario take in the vast majority of asylum seekers entering Canada.
