François Legault, premier of the largely French-speaking Canadian province of Quebec, has called for the implementation of French-style “waiting zones” to address the growing number of asylum seekers entering Canada, according to local media reports.
Legault appears to have taken inspiration from asylum waiting zones in France, which function as temporary hotel-style accommodations where asylum seekers remain while they await assessment of their asylum claim. Situated at points of entry such as airports and seaports, the zones provide asylum seekers with a narrow window of time during which they are allowed to stay. Asylum seekers in these zones may consult legal counsel and depart to any other country if their claims are rejected.
Forum Réfugiés, a French human rights group, has raised concerns about the right to asylum in the waiting zones. The organization argued that detaining asylum seekers in waiting zones may hinder their ability to fully articulate the dangers they face in their home countries. Similarly, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees emphasized that detention of asylum seekers should be used only as a last resort.
Federal immigration minister Marc Miller responded to Legault’s proposal on X (formerly Twitter), stating that the federal government has already proposed a voluntary relocation model according to Quebec’s demand. Miller further told local media that “secure zones are a completely different order of magnitude from anything that has been conceived in Canada. And it’s never been mentioned in our working groups.”
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also criticized Quebec’s immigration policy. In a joint press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron on September 26, Trudeau accused Legault of spreading misinformation and failing to offer his own solutions. Trudeau also highlighted recent federal measures aimed at reducing immigration numbers, including a cap on student visas and reimposing visa requirements for Mexican nationals.
Legault’s proposals are the latest in a series of disputes between the Quebec provincial government and the Federal government over asylum-seeker allocation. Quebec had previously requested reallocation of migrants within the province, to reduce stress on Quebec’s immigration infrastructure — as the province currently has 45 percent of Canada’s asylum seekers, despite only constituting 22 percent of the population.
Other provinces, including Nova Scotia and Alberta, have also come into conflict with the federal government over a plan by the government to reallocate refugee claimants to other provinces, following record asylum claimant numbers in 2023.
