Sask. won't accept relocated asylum seekers without significant federal dollars: premier

As the federal government tries to find ways to alleviate the pressure of growing numbers of asylum seekers in eastern provinces, it's finding pushback from provinces like Saskatchewan. Ottawa says it's a result of miscommunication.

According to the federal minister of immigration, refugees and citizenship's office, Quebec and Ontario are facing disproportionate pressure from tens of thousands of asylum seekers. The ministry says it wants to work with provinces to relocate some — with the consent of both the provinces and the people.

Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe says no to taking the people in — at least not without federal funding "in the realm of" the $750 million that was given to Quebec to aid with settling asylum seekers, among other incentives.

"There would have to be work done to ensure that we do have housing and services available for those that might come, and we would want to have a discussion on how they are going to participate in the Saskatchewan economy," Moe said on Thursday.

From January to July 2024, there were nearly 37,800 asylum claimants in Quebec, 55,700 in Ontario and 315 in Saskatchewan.

Both Moe and Jeremy Harrison, Saskatchewan's minister of immigration and career training, say they haven't heard from the federal government about a proposed number of asylum seekers to be resettled in Saskatchewan or what that would look like.

Moe said there are flaws with the asylum program and how people enter the country. Harrison said that during his more than a decade as the immigration minister, he has seen issues with the federal government's immigration policy.

"It is just not acceptable that the federal government would then turn to the provinces and say 'fix this problem we created for us.' We're not interested in doing that," he said.

The issue of resettling claimants has been plagued with fictitious claims, according to federal Immigration Minister Marc Miller, who has been addressing allegations that provinces will be forced to intake asylum seekers.

"They made this garbage up," he told CBC on Wednesday, stating the provinces were a part of a working group over the summer that considered how to manage the number of asylum seekers and that Ottawa was not planning to relocate claimants to unprepared provinces. He has said there is more than $1 billion on the table.

"We have a federal responsibility, as well, to reduce the number of asylum seekers who are coming into this country, some of them not making legitimate claims … but clearly it's a team sport."

In an email, Miller's office said in part, "As we work toward a fair and sustainable approach to managing the volume of asylum seekers, the Federal Government expects the full collaboration of all provinces and territories."

"We will have proper incentives for those willing to welcome asylum seekers, and will take a holistic view with regards to other immigration programs based on participation – as this is work we cannot do alone, nor unilaterally. All options remain on the table."

Davida Bentham, a lawyer that focuses on immigration at Pro Bono Law Saskatchewan, said Canada has an obligation to the international community to accept claims from asylum seekers and can't, for example, set quotas for asylum seekers like they can for refugees.