Is closing Roxham Road really the solution to migratory flows?
The subject of migrants entering through Roxham Road is becoming an important political issue today. Recent media releases by François Legault and his government have made Roxham Road the focal point of the migration issue, first in Quebec and then in Canada, with other provincial premiers taking a stand.
This issue needs to be addressed from a global perspective of the migration crisis, for better understanding and insight at the Canadian level. According to the UNHCR, in 2022, more than 100 million people will have been forced to leave their homes (internally displaced persons, refugees, asylum seekers, etc.). These migratory movements are accompanied by risks to the lives of migrants, who often face extreme conditions to reach their destination and hope for a better life. The reasons for these life-threatening risks are well known: armed conflict, political crises, civil war, poverty and, of course, climate change.
The migrants who pass through Roxham Road are looking for a better life, to guarantee their families a peaceful future in a country that guarantees them a stable life and the economic prospects to care for their loved ones. Quebec is playing its part in welcoming these migrants. The Green Party of Quebec salutes this welcome and hopes for a negotiated solution at various levels to provide appropriate solutions for reception, integration and building an even more inclusive society to make these migrants contributors to Canada's socio-economic, political and cultural development.
Closing Roxham Road would not be a definitive solution to the migration issue. The issue will certainly be shifted elsewhere, and migrants will find other solutions. We may have other Roxham roads. The response must be political and global, with the necessary financial efforts to help migrant aid organizations to facilitate their reception.
The Green Party of Quebec would like to see the policy of welcoming migrants to Canada continue. To achieve this, we would like to see greater collaboration with the USA under the Safe Third Country Agreement. We would like to see a strong political response from the federal government, as well as a sharing of efforts among the other provinces to ensure that these migrants are welcomed and integrated into the economic and social fabric of Canada.
If Canada wishes to welcome thousands of immigrants in the years to come, then let's have a strong political response for the migrants on Roxham Road, because closure alone will not be a response equal to the migratory issues that constitute a Canadian and global challenge.
Bourama Keita
Quebec Green Party immigration spokesperson
