Francois Legault says urgent action is needed because Donald Trump’s return to the White House could increase the influx of asylum seekers into Canada.

On Tuesday, Francois Legault managed to get the provinces to form a united front, demanding a “fair distribution” of asylum seekers based on each province’s and territory’s capacity to provide housing and services.

Lego says “urgent action” is needed because Donald Trump’s return to the White House could increase the influx of asylum seekers. At the end of the first day of the annual Federation Council summit in Halifax on Tuesday, Legault managed to convince his fellow premiers that Quebec was taking in too many asylum seekers relative to its demographic weight and capacity to accept them.

But at a news conference later in the day, he declined to say which provinces would agree to take in more. Alberta and British Columbia had previously responded that they had too many to take in. The provinces are asking Ottawa to “expedite the assessment of genuine asylum seekers entering Canada and work with provincial and territorial governments to determine the appropriate number of asylum seekers to accept.”

In Quebec, the issue is “severe,” Alberta Premier Danielle Smith told reporters a day earlier. She added that she sympathizes with Quebec, but “we feel similar pressure,” she said.

Anastasia Chupina