N.S. premier to challenge federal plan to send thousands of asylum seekers to province
Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston is pushing against a federal government proposal that would more proportionately distribute the number of asylum seekers across Canada.
According to numbers shared with CTV News, the federal government is asking Nova Scotia to take 6,131 refugee asylum seekers. Currently, the province has around 397 open claims, which would mean an increase of 5,734.
Houston told reporters Nova Scotia lacks the capacity to accept such a large number and asks the federal government to back off and respect the province’s “deliberate plan.”
“As a province we have a plan for population growth,” said Houston. “On the immigration side of that, with people moving from other countries, we’re focused on health-care workers and we’re focused on the skilled trades.”
Houston pointed to the rapid population growth of Nova Scotia already and alluded to the growing pressure on the available housing stock and accessing services like health care and family doctors. He emphasized Nova Scotia could not handle nearly 6,000 asylum claimants.
Ontario and Quebec together have accepted 62 per cent of all federal asylum seekers and both provinces have signalled they need help from the federal government and other provinces to take a greater percentage of would-be refugees.
Houston said Nova Scotians are caring, compassionate people, but the capacity is just not there.
“We will not be taken advantage of by the federal government,” said Houston.
For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
A plane crashes and bursts into flames while landing in South Korea, killing 179
A passenger plane skidded off a runway at a South Korean airport Sunday, slammed into a concrete fence and burst into flames after its front landing gear apparently failed to deploy. All but two of the 181 people on board died in one of the country's worst aviation disasters.
Runway at Halifax airport resumes regular operations after landing incident
An aircraft incident at the Halifax Stanfield International Airport caused temporary delays to all flight operations Saturday night.
Tornadoes in Texas and Mississippi kill 2 and injure 6 as severe weather system moves east
At least two people were killed and six more injured as several tornadoes touched down in Texas and Mississippi on Saturday, damaging homes and flipping vehicles as the storm system moved east across Alabama early Sunday.
Canadian model Dayle Haddon dies from suspected carbon monoxide poisoning
Dayle Haddon, an actor, activist and trailblazing former 'Sports Illustrated' model who pushed back against age discrimination by reentering the industry as a widow, has died in a Pennsylvania home from what authorities believe was carbon monoxide poisoning.
Trump appears to side with Musk, tech allies in debate over foreign workers roiling his supporters
U.S. president-elect Donald Trump appears to be siding with Elon Musk and his other backers in the tech industry as a dispute over immigration visas has divided his supporters.
Azerbaijan's president says crashed jetliner was shot down by Russia unintentionally
Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev said Sunday that the Azerbaijani airliner that crashed last week was shot down by Russia, albeit unintentionally, and criticized Moscow for trying to 'hush up' the issue for days.
Ottawa OPP seizes $28K, suspected drug tablets following traffic stop on Highway 417
A traffic stop for impaired driving lead to the seizure of $28,000 and suspected drug tablets Saturday evening on Highway 417 in Ottawa, according to the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP).
Online child exploitation spiked during lockdowns. Police worry it's here to stay
Online predators are becoming increasingly resourceful in trolling media platforms where children gravitate, prompting an explosion in police case loads, said an officer who works for the RCMP Integrated Child Exploitation Unit in British Columbia.
Rolex stolen from Keanu Reeves' LA home turns up in Chile
Police in Chile say they have recovered three watches belonging to 'John Wick' star Keanu Reeves – including a US$9,000 Rolex – that are thought to have been stolen from the actor's Los Angeles home in late 2023.