Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc says the federal government is ready. The RCMP say they’re on guard. Immigration Minister Marc Miller says not to “scaremonger.” In other words, relax. The prospect of 11 million asylum-seekers arriving on our doorstep isn’t something that should keep us awake at night.
Except it does. Our services are swamped. This country has let in millions of foreign students, temporary foreign workers, asylum seekers, refugees and other immigrants over the past three years.
It isn’t “racist” to question those numbers. Many of us come from somewhere else. But immigration in the past was viewed as a privilege and not a right. Prospective newcomers were carefully vetted. There were strict limits to the number allowed in. Sponsorship programs helped ease refugees into Canadian life. Those measures have been overwhelmed by the Trudeau government’s irresponsible open-door policies.
Canada and the U.S. share the longest undefended border in the world. That’s a blessing and a curse. It’s a blessing when it facilitates billions of dollars in trade that go back and forth each day. A curse in that the almost 9,000-kilometre border stretches across land and water and is difficult to police.
Bloc Quebecois Leader Yves-Francois Blanchet predicted this week that the infamous Roxham Road illegal crossing point between New York State and Quebec would soon be resurrected. Migrants had formerly exploited a legal loophole that allowed those who arrived via that route to make refugee claims.
“Once again, the government is refusing to acknowledge the obvious and very serious situation,” Blanchet told reporters.
The RCMP issued a statement saying it has a plan.
“Lessons learned from the migratory movement experienced by Canada between 2016 and 2023, which was in part related to the 2016 U.S. election, has provided us with the tools and insight necessary to address similar types of occurrences,” Mountie spokesperson Camille Boily-Lavoie said in a statement.
What could possibly go wrong?
Well, if only half those deportees — 5.5 million people — look north to Canada, it represents about a 14% increase to our population of 40 million.
It’s expected many of those facing deportation in the U.S. will start arriving here soon. It’s not “racist” or “scaremongering” to insist this country enforce immigration rules. It’s just common sense.