British Columbia Premier David Eby has branded the federal government’s proposal to distribute asylum seekers across Canada “daft."
BC, he said, has welcomed 180,000 people in the last year and more than 300,000 in the last two.
“That's a massive ask the federal government is making of all the provinces as they dramatically increase immigration numbers as part of an economic strategy for Canada,” he said in an interview with KelownaNow on Friday.
His remarks come after Immigration Minister Marc Miller said on Wednesday that provinces need to chip in to help Ontario and Quebec, where the majority of asylum seekers are based.
Miller said Ottawa is looking at "measures to push provinces that are recalcitrant,” adding: "There's only so far the federal government can actually be nice and say, 'Please, please.'”
#BC Premier David Eby brands Ottawa's asylum proposal 'daft.'
— KelownaNow (@KelownaNow) September 13, 2024
'I mean, 70 per cent of the people who are using the food bank in the Lower Mainland arrived in Canada within the last two years.'#bcpoli #cdnpoli pic.twitter.com/O7DHnvJWWt
Citing a federal government briefing document – which listed how many asylum seekers BC would take on if there were to be a proportional distribution – Conservative Party of BC Leader John Rustad said feds were “dumping” 22,000 people on BC.
Eby has previously spoken of BC’s challenges with what he called “completely overwhelming” population growth due to migration, and has requested more help from Ottawa.
On Friday, he once again directed his frustrations eastward.
BC, he said, is “doing the work” on housing and the building of hospitals and schools as it attempts to “accommodate these record-high population increases.”
But the prospect of 22,000 asylum seekers – or 32,000, according to one calculation – being dispatched to the province by Ottawa does not please the premier.
Immigration Minister Marc Miller says Ottawa 'could open up a hotel in any particular province and ship people there' amid a dispute over the distribution of asylum seekers.
— KelownaNow (@KelownaNow) September 12, 2024
'There's only so far the federal government can actually be nice and say, "Please, please."'#cdnpoli pic.twitter.com/CvzXBqhqbG
“The idea that somehow 32,000 people are going to show up on planes – barring an Air Canada strike – in British Columbia, and they're going to go somewhere… I mean, 70 per cent of the people who are using the food bank in the Lower Mainland arrived in Canada within the last two years,” he said.
“At some point we need the federal government to recognize the impacts of these policies and to make sure that they are not leading people into exploitation, into hunger, into inadequate housing.”
He added: “We have people in our immigration program that came through the federal government staying in homeless shelters. We need [the federal government] to really have a careful look at what they're doing.”
Using a British term for something silly or ridiculous – perhaps picked up last month as he enjoyed a Curly Wurly – the premier said simply: “Obviously the proposal is daft.”
To watch the full interview with David Eby, click here.
