Quebec seeking Ottawa’s help in paying for costs of asylum seekers [Video]

Quebec Immigration Minister Christine Frechette is keeping up the pressure on Ottawa to help with the costs of asylum seekers in the province.

“That is crucial, really, because we do not have the luxury of saying yes or no,” said Frechette.

Quebec asked for $1 billion to meet education, housing and health-care needs, which a working group between the two levels of government will look into, but Frechette is accusing the federal government of passing the buck.

“When I look at the position the federal [government] is taking, it’s as if there was a possibility for them to pay or not to pay, depending on their mood – that’s not the way it goes,” she said. “They do have to assume the consequences of their policies, and their policies generate a lot of expenses for Quebec.”

Premier Francois Legault also wants to speed up processing from a year and a …