Parti Qubcois wants to nix Safe Third Country Agreement amid asylum seeker boom

The leader of the Parti Qubcois is calling for the suspension of the Safe Third Country Agreementamid a surge of asylum seekers arriving at illegal border crossings into Quebec.

Under the agreement, the majority of migrants coming from the United States who make an asylum claim at an official border checkpointin Canadaare denied entry since the U.S. isdeemed to be safe.

"The problem isthat we get the impression that the border doesn't exist," Jean-Franois Lisetold Radio-Canada. "Without this agreement, people would show up at border crossings."

• As many as 1,200 asylum seekers wait to be processed at Lacolle border crossing

As a result of the Safe Third Country Agreement, a growing number of asylum seekers are instead arriving at unofficial crossings, such as Roxham Road in Hemmingford, Que., where they are arrested but not immediately refused entry.

In a letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard, Lise said that the crisis has become a problem in Quebec and that the agreement needs to be struck down.

"It has damaging repercussions," he said. "It's time to face the facts and admitthat it's not a good decision."

Couillard said that while he thinks Lise's proposal was made in good faith, suspending the agreement could lead to consequences and affect diplomatic relations with the United States.

"Most of all we have to ask: 'Is this a good idea?'" Couillard said Sunday. "It's not a good idea."

More than 1,000 wait to be processed

Lise's letter comes as the province struggles to handle a growing boom of migrants fleeing from the United States and showing up at Quebec borders. As of Friday, close to 1,200 people were waiting to be processed at the Lacolle border crossing.

The PQ has also questioned Quebec's capacity to accommodate the influx of refugees, while the Coalition Avenir Qubec has demanded stricter rules and claimed that the border has become a "sieve".

Lise added that it would be helpful if asylum seekerswere granted work permits to be able to support themselves while waiting to see if the Immigration and RefugeeBoard ofCanada tribunal accepts their asylum claim.

"I think that would help," said Lise.

Awareness campaign

In his letter, Lisesaidboth the federal and provincial governments urgently need to launch an awareness campaign for people heading to the borders which states "the majority of claimants will have their request rejected."

In an effort toassuageconcerns about the growing number ofasylum seekers,Couillard took to social media on Friday to say that there are "no guarantees" that claimants will be granted refugee status. He reiterated the same message Sunday during a policy convention.

"We are a safe haven," he said. "But the journey to have refugee status is not easy or convenient."

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Officials in Canada, from Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen to Public Security Minister Ralph Goodale,have also said that asylum seekers are subject to the same laws and procedures as otherswhen it comes to their refugee claims.

Goodalehas warned thatirregular border crossings are not a "free ticket to stay in Canada."