New Brunswick premier's comments about asylum seekers spark controversy

Shortly after 6 p.m. on Wednesday, New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs took to social media with a big claim.

“Provincial officials were invited to the conference call in which it was shared by the federal officials in Ottawa that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government is considering a plan to send 4600 asylum seekers to New Brunswick without providing any financial assistance […],”Higgs said on a video he posted to X.

Higgs says the information, and the number of asylum seekers, came from a document called the Distribution of Open Asylum Claims in Humanitarian Volume, which gives the breakdown in every province.

"They've put this information out there. There should be a plan to go with it,” said Higgs on Thursday. “When I look at, you know, statements being made and how it impacts right across this country, you're going to hear more than just from New Brunswick. You’re going to hear from every province."

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Higgs says the province’s health care and education system cannot handle this influx.

His social media post sparked backlash, with many claiming the information he shared isn’t accurate.

“When he announced that, I couldn’t believe my ears. I mean, it was a boldfaced lie the way he presented it,” said Green Party leader David Coon.

Federal Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Minister Marc Miller responded online, calling Higgs’ comment “highly irresponsible” and said “nobody said we’d force New Brunswick to take 4,600 Asylum Seekers.

“The New Brunswick Government has shown very little interest in doing its fair share, even with a commitment of federal financial support.”

On Thursday, Higgs remained defiant, saying the data he’s working with comes from Miller’s departments.

“There has been no confirmation of any sort of resources following this at all and there hasn't been any indication or work with us to figure out how do we manage these numbers, how do we add 5,000 more people,” said Higgs. “All we’re asking for is, let’s map this out and plan it and judging by what we’ve seen in the last three years – a tremendous volume increase – it does not appear to be a managed process.”

While an election in New Brunswick hasn’t been called yet, other parties are critical of what they call Higgs’ strategy.

“The premier’s misrepresenting facts and creating fear, trying to use this as a distraction from the fact that he has failed New Brunswickers with the health care and the housing that they need,” said Liberal leader Susan Holt in Moncton on Thursday. “I think we’re struggling right now to provide New Brunswickers with the access to the health care and the housing they need and I wish that Premier Higgs was focused on that as much as he’s focused out of province.”

“His strategy in this election seems to be to further divide New Brunswickers and create boogeymen to instil fear,” said Coon. “People who are addicted to drugs, people who are refugees, who’s next? I don’t know, but it’s appalling and I denounce that kind of tactic.”

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