Parti Québécois (PQ) leader Jean-François Lisée found himself in the hot seat Wednesday morning for comments he made about asylum seekers coming into Quebec.
He blamed Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for inviting them into the country and accused the Quebec Liberal government of not being transparent about how they’re paying to accommodate asylum seekers.
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The PQ is meeting in Saint-Eustache Wednesday and Thursday for an annual pre-session caucus.
Lisée told reporters he would not apologize for his comments.
Roughly 8,000 people, mostly from Haiti, have crossed into Quebec from the U.S. since June.
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Lisée is blaming a tweet Justin Trudeau sent in January about the Trump travel ban, saying that Canadians will welcome refugees regardless of faith and saying Ottawa should pick up the tab to accommodate the asylum seekers.
“People should always expect frank talk from me. I think when Mr. Trudeau sent this tweet, ‘Welcome to Canada,’ he created false hopes for tens of thousands of people who are coming here,” Lisée said.
“They feel they are guests of the Canadian government, guests of Mr. Trudeau.”
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The PQ leader cut his scrum short after reporters started asking questions about whether party members agreed with his comments and tone.
He took two questions in English before going into a close-door caucus meeting with PQ MNAs.
Support for the PQ has taken a nose dive, according to multiple polls published this summer.
Lisée faces a confidence vote by party faithful at a congress in Montreal next weekend.
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