By Canadian Press

Scheer takes Conservative campaign close to notorious Quebec border crossing

Oct 9, 2019 | 1:04 AM

OTTAWA — The Conservatives aren’t saying whether they’re talking about immigration and the border on the federal campaign trail today, but leader Andrew Scheer is gathering reporters for a field trip starting just a couple of kilometres from the spot in Quebec where thousands of irregular migrants have crossed into Canada.

His election tour is taking him to Hemmingford, Que., on the U.S. border, where Roxham Road on the Canadian side is separated from a road on the American side by just a few metres of scrub.

The federal government says nearly 50,000 people have entered Canada there in the last two years, most of them intending to claim asylum once they’re on Canadian soil.

A quirk of the law would turn them back to the United States if they tried to make a claim at an official crossing.

Conservatives have argued that the Liberals under Justin Trudeau should stop the crossings, though without fortifying the border it’s not clear how that could be done.

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Meanwhile, Trudeau has a morning campaign stop in Markham, northeast of Toronto, where the Liberals are trying to hold onto a number of suburban seats, and New Democrat Leader Jagmeet Singh is speaking to a Canadian Union of Public Employees convention in Montreal.

Green Leader Elizabeth May is also in Montreal, with a packed schedule that has her making announcements on advancing Quebec culture and promoting affordable housing alongside the Greens’ deputy leader, Daniel Green.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 9, 2019.

The Canadian Press