Trudeau defends high number of Haitians rejected by Canada’s refugee system

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Canada’s refugee system isn’t meant for those who are merely seeking a better economic future.

Trudeau is citing the case of thousands of Haitians who have crossed into Canada from the U.S. in recent months to claim asylum, only relatively few of which – about 10 per cent – are being granted status.

Trudeau says when people ask for refugee status, it means they have nowhere else to go and they aren’t being protected by their home state.

But he says that while Haiti has its economic challenges, it’s not a failed state and there are people from elsewhere in the world who have more urgent needs.

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Trudeau made the remarks in French at an event in P.E.I., after he was asked by a Sudanese refugee why Canada isn’t doing more for refugees.

The issue is up for discussion later today at the sixth meeting of the federal-provincial task force overseeing irregular migration into Canada.