(OTTAWA) Prime Minister Justin Trudeau hinted Wednesday that an announcement regarding Roxham Road could be made when US President Joe Biden visits Ottawa on Thursday and Friday.
Posted at 5:00 p.m
Michel Saba The Canadian Press
“Maybe we have something to announce,” Mr Trudeau said during a scrum upon his arrival at the weekly Liberal faction meeting, when he was then asked about the possibility of promotions or a deal with the Americans.
“We have been working closely with the Americans for several months to restore the situation at Roxham Road and examine the Safe Third Country Agreement,” he added simply.
Both Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Minister Sean Fraser declined to comment on a possible outcome, content to commend meetings over the past few months with their counterparts at which the issue was discussed was discussed.
The Safe Third Country Agreement ensures that a potential refugee presenting at an official Canadian border crossing point and entering American soil for the first time will be turned away, as they must pursue their asylum application at the first “safe place” they see has arrived.
For example, people still seeking asylum in Canada cross the Canada-US border through makeshift crossings, in many cases Roxham Road in Montérégie. Once they are in Canada and have been intercepted by Canadian authorities after officially entering the country, their asylum application can be processed.
In the afternoon, as he made his way to the House of Commons, Mr. Trudeau told reporters that Americans have a “very different” view of protecting their border with Mexico than that with Canada. Ottawa, he said, is trying to “put her mind at ease” and “find something that can work for her. [et] for asylum seekers”.
Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre reiterated his call for the Prime Minister to order the “closure” of Roxham Road rather than trying to find a compromise with the Americans.
“It’s really Justin Trudeau who has the opportunity to close Roxham Road,” he said. He should. It is he who points out that it is Joe Biden’s responsibility to protect our borders. I personally believe that it is the Prime Minister of Canada who has to protect Canadians’ borders. »
Mr Poilievre also blamed Mr Trudeau for the situation because when his political party was in power, “there was no illegal mass migration [au chemin] Roxham or anywhere else and we had the same border with the same country.”
Bloc Québécois leader Yves-François Blanchet judges that Mr Trudeau must raise the specter of unilaterally withdrawing from the deal if the United States refuses to renegotiate it. “Normally, it’ll probably speed up a discussion a bit,” he said.
Mr Blanchet, who continues to request “a brief meeting” with President Biden, also believes only two scenarios can lead to a successful visit.
“Either announce a real trial, with everything on the table – there could in the best of all worlds actually be a stay in the meantime – and if the United States is not open to the idea […] the Prime Minister of Canada […] should suspend the agreement. »
The New Democratic Party (NDP) is also calling for the agreement to be suspended. Their leader, Jagmeet Singh, argued that this would allow migrants to cross the border regularly.
“Right now they have to do something dangerous, huh [met] a lot of pressure on the shoulders of provinces and cities,” he said.
In 2022, a record 39,171 people crossed the border irregularly, according to the number of apprehensions reported by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.