THE MAJORITY OF CANADIANS BELIEVE THAT IRREGULAR MIGRATION HAS REACHED A CRISIS POINT, ACCORDING TO A NEW POLL FROM THE ANGUS REID INSTITUTE.
OTTAWA • The majority of Canadians believe irregular migration into the country has reached a crisis point, according to a new poll, suggesting immigration and refugees will be a major wedge issue in the 2019 election.
The survey comes as departmental estimates prepared for Canada’s budget watchdog show the federal government spent more than $85 million dealing with the influx of irregular asylum seekers during the last fiscal year, and faces a much larger bill this year as provinces call on Ottawa to cover their costs as well.
Submissions to the parliamentary budget officer, made as part of an analysis of the cost of irregular asylum seekers requested by the Conservatives in June, also show that some wouldbe refugees are now using “anchor relatives” recently arrived in Canada to enter the country through official ports of entry without being turned back by the Safe Third Country Agreement.
According to the new survey from the Angus Reid Institute, two thirds of respondents believe that Canada has taken in too many irregular asylum claimants for authorities to manage, including majorities of Conservative, Liberal and NDP voters. The results also show that nearly half of respondents overestimate the number of irregular border crossers Canada has received.
The findings suggest “that asylum seekers and border security are areas of vulnerability for the Liberal Party,” according to the pollster. Recent survey results from Abacus Data also found that among voters who want a change in government, immigration and refugees ranked as the second reason they’re dissatisfied, behind deficits and debt.
According to the RCMP, 11,420 asylum seekers have entered Canada between official border crossings from Jan. 1 to July 15, 2018. Last year, there were 20,953 irregular crossings in total, up from just 2,486 in 2016. The vast majority have entered at an unofficial crossing point in Quebec.
In total, the immigration department, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), the RCMP and the Immigration and Refugee Board have estimated in submissions to the budget watchdog that they spent $85.5 million in 2017-18 to respond to the rapid increase in irregular border crossers. Costs include salary and travel expenses, as well as health coverage for the asylum seekers.
That total will likely increase substantially this year — the immigration department alone is anticipating costs of close to $100 million, including $50 million Ottawa has promised for Quebec, Ontario and Manitoba to help cover housing expenses for would-be refugees.
The influx of asylum claimants entering the country between official ports of entry is largely due to a loophole in the Safe Third Country Agreement, which requires that would-be refugees in Canada and the United States make a refugee claim in whichever country they get to first. The agreement allows Canada to turn away asylum seekers from land border crossings, but not if they cross between official entry points.
However, the CBSA says some irregular asylum seekers are now acting as “anchor relatives” for family members once they enter the country, using another exemption to the Safe Third Country Agreement that allows those who have family members in Canada to claim asylum at official border crossings. “This means that these family members can present themselves at a port of entry and not be considered as irregular migrants,” the agency says in its submission to the budget watchdog. “Also they can’t be refused entry under the Safe Third Country Agreement.”