Quebec premier says Ottawa should forcibly relocate half of asylum seekers

Premier François Legault has made immigration a major focus of his visit to Paris, demanding that the federal government force asylum seekers in Quebec to move elsewhere, including people who have already settled in the province.

Half of the would-be refugees currently in Quebec should be transferred to other provinces, he told reporters on Wednesday at the offices of the Quebec delegation in Paris.

«What I want is for there to be results,» he said.

«So yes, it should be mandatory, but it's up to the federal government to manage that,» he said about the transfers.

Legault's latest remarks follow similar comments on Tuesday, when he said his government has asked Ottawa to create waiting zones for asylum seekers entering the country, similar to a system that has existed for decades in France.

The premier said he intends to address the issue when he meets Thursday with French Prime Minister Michel Barnier.

Legault's comments have prompted pushback from federal Immigration Minister Marc Miller, who suggested Wednesday that Legault's demands are «inhumane.»

Miller said the federal government is working with the provinces to distribute asylum seekers more evenly across the country. But he has accused Legault of using immigration for political ends, and said Ottawa cannot force people to move.

'It doesn't make sense,' says Legault

«What Mr. Legault is saying is, 'Get rid of these people for us'.… Is he asking us to go get them and send them to Ontario?» Miller told reporters in Ottawa.

«I think there's a lot of politics that's driving this. I think this is rhetoric that he can weaponize for his own political purposes. I think at the end of the day we have to stay in the reasonable and the practical.»

Legault said Wednesday it «doesn't