Hon. Julie Miville-Dechêne: Senator Gold, Quebec is currently experiencing an explosion in asylum applications. We welcomed 49,000 of the country’s 90,000 asylum seekers between November 2022 and June 2023, or 55% of the Canadian total.

I visited The Refugee Centre in Montreal last Wednesday. The organization offers various types of assistance and integration supports for people waiting for their status to be determined. The place was packed. Clients were sitting on the floor in the hallway. According to this centre, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada is paying for thousands of hotel rooms to house asylum seekers when they arrive, but this non-profit organization, which helps them find a real home and deal with all kinds of formalities, is not eligible for federal funding.

Can you tell me whether the current legislation effectively prevents Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada from funding these services offered to asylum seekers by non-profit organizations?

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for your question and for highlighting the challenges faced by these shelters and the important work they do. This is a challenge not only for the province of Quebec, but also for cities and provinces across Canada that have welcomed large numbers of people. The government is well aware that this poses major challenges in terms of housing, among other things.

I don’t have a precise answer to your question, but I will bring it to the minister’s attention and share your concern.