Trudeau Notches Win on US Border Dispute During Biden Visit
Brian Platt and Mathieu Dion, Bloomberg News
(Bloomberg) -- Prime Minister Justin Trudeau scored a political win during US President Joe Biden’s visit to Canada, resolving a long-running dispute over migrants crossing the border without having to make significant concessions.
The Canadian leader had been under pressure to renegotiate a border deal that turned back asylum seekers attempting to cross at an official port of entry. Despite the deal, close to 40,000 people entered the country last year via an irregular border crossing known as Roxham Road, located in his home province of Quebec.
On Friday, Trudeau and Biden announced the two countries would now treat all border crossings the same, official or unofficial. In exchange, Canada would agree to take 15,000 more people in through formal channels.
“It’s a great victory,” Quebec’s Premier Francois Legault said at a press conference in Montreal after the announcement. He added the last few months have been “difficult” for community groups and social services, which have been “stretched, too stretched.”
https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/trudeau-notches-win-on-us-border-dispute-during-biden-visit-1.1900233
