By Pierre Saint-ArnaudMONTREAL — An independent Quebec would deal more quickly with asylum seekers and would not afford them the same rights as citizens, Parti Québécois Leader Jean-François Lisée said Tuesday. Asylum seekers do benefit, however, from an appeal process that can extend their stay in Canada significantly even if they are denied refugee status. If Quebec separated from Canada it would not sign the Safe Third Country Agreement, allowing asylum seekers to cross at regular channels instead of trudging through forests, Lisée said. “In other countries asylum seekers are considered asylum seekers and not citizens,” he said. A sovereign Quebec would get to keep the money its citizens give to Ottawa and put it toward the public pension plan, Lisée said.

Source: National Post September 05, 2017 18:34 UTC