PM Trudeau plays down concerns of 'uncontrolled immigration'

[Tennis]

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Canadians can continue to have confidence in the country's immigration system, and defended his government's response to the surge of asylum seekers who have avoided regular border crossings to enter Canada from the United States this summer.

"I can understand the concerns that Canadians have about whether this is a shortcut, whether somehow this is uncontrolled immigration," the Prime Minister said on Wednesday.

But he insisted the would-be refugees were gaining no advantage by walking over the border through irregular routes, and they would be subject to the same screening as other claimants.


"The rules on Canada's immigration system continue to be enforced," he said.

More than 7,500 people have streamed across the Canada-U.S. border since June, and Mr. Trudeau was in Montreal for a meeting of a new federal-provincial task force that is trying to address the situation. The Prime Minister said his government has added staff to speed up their processing, but he offered no targets or timelines.

He also said Ottawa would look at accelerating the pace of granting the claimants temporary work permits so they would not be dependent on government support.

But federal opposition parties say Ottawa was slow to respond to the wave of migrants, some of whom have been housed temporarily in tent villages at the Quebec border with New York State.

Quebec Immigration Minister Kathleen Weil revealed on Wednesday that a third of the migrants are under the age of 18.

Conservative immigration critic Michelle Rempel called the situation a crisis.

"Here we are at the 11th hour, heading into winter, with tent cities at our border when the Prime Minister is finally coming out," Ms. Rempel said to reporters in Ottawa on Wednesday. "He needs to have a plan and he needs to explain it to Canadians. … This is his problem."

The Conservatives and the NDP have also taken Mr. Trudeau to task for a tweet he issued in January shortly after U.S. President Donald Trump announced a plan to ban immigration from seven Muslim-majority countries. The tweet welcomed people fleeing war and persecution, using the hashtag #WelcometoCanada, and went viral.

Ms. Rempel said it gave potential asylum claimants "false hope."

"I absolutely think that that set the tone. Man, was that ever irresponsible," she said.

About 85 per cent of those who are crossing into Canada are Haitians who had been living in the United States, some of whom began to head to Canada because the Trump administration is considering ending a program that gave Haitians temporary protected status after their homeland's 2010 earthquake.

Ottawa says that only 50 per cent of asylum applications from Haiti were successful last year.

The asylum seekers are crossing at unmanned border points because if they used regular ports of entry, Canada would send them back to the United States because of an agreement between the two countries.

The Safe Third Country Agreement says refugees must make asylum claims in the first safe country they reach, meaning that those who arrive first in the United States cannot then make a claim in Canada. Many of those crossing into Canada in recent weeks have been in the United States for years.

The NDP wants Canada to suspend the agreement.

"It contradicts the reality of the anti-immigration policies put in place by the Trump administration as well as the lived experience of many in the immigrant community living in the US," NDP immigration critic Jenny Kwan wrote in a letter to Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen. "Additionally, the events of last weekend in Charlottesville, Virginia, which elevated the racist, anti-immigrant and white supremacist movements to a level not seen in North America for over a generation, undeniably increases insecurity for all people of colour."

Mr. Trudeau said he has no intention of changing the deal.

"The United Nations has made a determination that even with the shift in immigration policies of the United States, they still fully qualify for holding up their end of the bargain on the Safe Third Country," he said.

Good stuff. Some world leaders want to promote fear and distrust but not the Honourable PM Trudeau.

However, that said, I am very concerned about this. Why are so many refugees fleeing North? This is really unacceptable.

[Xandrigity]

They heard you have a available room Tenn they all wont to come live with you.

[Darkeon]

Wouldn't "play down", as you describe it, mean that you understand and agree that the situation is more dire than what the explanation he gave?

Are you starting to not 110% agree with your God and Savior Trudeau, Tenn?

[the game]

the US has quietly constructed a bridge from mexico to Canada without telling you. sorry.

[Hiricine]

If he wants to let in people from countries at war or Middle Eastern Christians, its a far more reasonable idea than letting in all the economic migrants from the rest of the place.

Just because someone labels themselves an asylum seeker or is labeled that does not mean they are seeking asylum or that they are a refugee. Though the Haitians should be going back to Haiti-- either they're not high quality people and Canada shouldn't want them there, or Canada is depriving Haiti of good people who can help rebuild.

[Tennis]

They heard you have a available room Tenn they all wont to come live with you.

Why exactly? These people are from the U.S. so it's their responsibility not ours.

[Tierbook]

Why exactly? These people are from the U.S. so it's their responsibility not ours.

Actually they are from Haiti. So it's their responsibility.

[Tennis]

Actually they are from Haiti. So it's their responsibility.

They landed in the U.S. as asylum seekers. It's the law.

[Doctor Amadeus]

I love Trudeau compared to Trump

[Tierbook]

They landed in the U.S. as asylum seekers. It's the law.

And then they left to go to Canada once they realized the gravy train was possibly coming to an end. If they don't have US citizenship/proof of residency in the US I think International law would argue that Canada can't force the US to take them back.

[purebalance]

Good stuff. Some world leaders want to promote fear and distrust but not the Honourable PM Trudeau.

However, that said, I am very concerned about this. Why are so many refugees fleeing North? This is really unacceptable.

All refugees are acceptable according to you. You aren't supposed to question this or solve the problem per your past threads. You're simply supposed to accept them with open arms and accept their culture. If any of the people that flee north are Nazis, you're supposed to accept their culture.

Your own words.

- - - Updated - - -

I love Trudeau compared to Trump

Funny thing is their approval ratings in their home countries are similar.

[Independent voter]

400 Haitians a day, I didn't know we had that many. Canadians are putting them up in the Montreal Olympic Stadium.



Trudeau weeping about it.

[Daws]

Isn't Trudeau basically full of it? If he was in any way serious of opening Canada fully to immigrants then he would suspend The Safe Third Country Agreement, but he hasn't and he won't. Currently he switches between making speeches about how Canada welcomes immigrants to now saying immigration is under control. He's basically brought this down on Canada himself by swinging between two sides of an argument, time for him to be honest and either tell the immigrants there not welcome or tell them they are and suspend the safe third country agreement.

[Deleted]

Isn't Trudeau basically full of it? If he was in any way serious of opening Canada fully to immigrants then he would suspend The Safe Third Country Agreement, but he hasn't and he won't. Currently he switches between making speeches about how Canada welcomes immigrants to now saying immigration is under control. He's basically brought this down on Canada himself by swinging between two sides of an argument, time for him to be honest and either tell the immigrants there not welcome or tell them they are and suspend the safe third country agreement.

Maybe he realizes that immigration is a net negative, but he needs to virtue signal so people will vote for him.

[Calfredd]

Good stuff. Some world leaders want to promote fear and distrust but not the Honourable PM Trudeau.

However, that said, I am very concerned about this. Why are so many refugees fleeing North? This is really unacceptable.

I don't understand. You know playing something down is a bad thing right? So you are happy Trudeau is hiding the severity of the situation?

[Daws]

I don't understand. You know playing something down is a bad thing right? So you are happy Trudeau is hiding the severity of the situation?

Tennisace basically worships Trudeau he's made one of the worst mistakes anyone can make believing in the mythical being known as the honest politician.

[RobertoCarlos]

Good stuff. Some world leaders want to promote fear and distrust but not the Honourable PM Trudeau.

However, that said, I am very concerned about this. Why are so many refugees fleeing North? This is really unacceptable.

How does one gain the honorable title? I want it, sounds cool

[StayTuned]

The jokingly low number of refugees and immigrants crossing your border makes me laugh. The fact that this is even a talking point in Canada is hilarious.

Meh I guess as long as you don't have European level it's still alright.

[Lex Icon]

How does one gain the honorable title? I want it, sounds cool

by reaching Light 3 Alignment in Swtor.

[Deleted]

http://www.financialexpress.com/worl...ularly/824348/

Justin Trudeau changes stance on immigration, says no advantage to enter Canada irregularly

Canadian Prine Minister Justin Trudeau who had once tweeted: “To those fleeing persecution, terror & war, Canadians will welcome you, regardless of your faith…Diversity is our strength,” has now seemingly changed his stance on Sunday saying that there would be “no advantage” to entering “irregularly,” as per Reuters.

https://ca.reuters.com/article/topNe...CN1AX1PO-OCATP

Canada sees 'unsustainable' spike in asylum seekers at U.S. border

The Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB), which is responsible for hearing all asylum claims, has redeployed resources to deal with the Quebec arrivals.

“The IRB had to make adjustments to be in a position to respond to the current situation that is clearly unsustainable,” spokeswoman Anna Pape said in an email.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-u...-idUSKCN1B42QE

Canada ramps up deportations amid growing migrant influx

TORONTO (Reuters) - As an influx of asylum seekers crossing from the United States strains Canada’s immigration system, the country is ramping up its deportation of migrants, government data shows.

...

Canada’s Immigration and Refugee Board has called a rise in asylum-seekers through the U.S. border “unsustainable,” and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government, fretting about another big surge in asylum claims, has been trying to warn people away.

This is fine. Right?