Ontario and Saskatchewan are calling on the federal government to pick up more of the costs of dealing with asylum seekers.
The two provinces issued a joint statement yesterday following a meeting in Winnipeg of ministers responsible for immigration in which they refused to sign the final joint communique.
Ontario’s Lisa MacLeod says the province fully supports legal immigration but Ottawa needs to fully fund a solution to what she called the border crisis.
Saskatchewan’s Jeremy Harrison says his province wants Ottawa to fully fund health, social assistance and employment supports for asylum seekers and recently arrived government-assisted refugees.
Earlier in the conference Macleod demanded an apology from federal Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen for saying Ontario is promoting fear about asylum seekers.
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Hussen has called Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s position on asylum seekers divisive, dangerous and not Canadian.
Ontario says it is facing rising shelter costs related to asylum seekers, and Ottawa hasn’t promised enough financial support.
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