Alberta, similar to Ontario and Quebec, faces a migration crisis where it cannot meet the demand for housing and essential services at current immigration rates. As of April 1, its population is 4,849,906—up from 4,645,229 people the previous year.

During the Council of Federation meetings in Halifax, Premier Danielle Smith complained Alberta was not privy to extra federal dollars to aid the resettlement of asylum seekers, while Ontario and Quebec have received considerable funding to offset the additional strain on services over the past year.

The Trudeau government earlier pledged $750 million to Quebec after heralding complaints from Premier François Legault. Similarly, Toronto and Ottawa received $162 million and $32 million earlier this year, respectively. 

“Alberta’s government has received nothing,” said Garrett Koehler, spokesperson for the Ministry of Immigration and Multiculturalism.

The province is “shouldering a larger burden” with its existing infrastructure, Smith told reporters on July 17. “It puts a lot of pressure on jurisdictions who are receiving more [newcomers] than their current level of social programs and infrastructure can support,” she said.

Premier Danielle Smith is asked if Alberta would be willing to accept asylum seekers from Quebec that the Legault government is trying to transfer to other provinces. pic.twitter.com/igx3npF3N1

— True North (@TrueNorthCentre) July 16, 2024

At the time, the premier declined to welcome more migrants into the province, reported the Globe and Mail. She cites the ongoing housing crisis and lengthening queues at essential social services as a cause for concern.

Alberta’s inflow of asylum seekers has more than tripled to 3,740 claimants, according to federal data. 

Year-over-year population growth in Alberta is 4.41%, according to provincial data. 

Rebel News reached out to the Ministry of Immigration and Multiculturalism for comment. Koehler said Alberta would like to see “greater provincial autonomy” and “involvement” in settlement services.

The Ministry urged Ottawa to adopt a more “flexible approach” to immigration.

Quebec previously asked Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to grant provinces full say on immigration, but he did not fulfill the ask. The provinces need to solve immigration challenges together, Trudeau said.

Quebec Premier Francois Legault says that Quebec cannot handle an influx of 190,000 asylum seekers and is seeking to redistribute them to other provinces. He says some premiers are open to the move. pic.twitter.com/RqkHGqUPeO

— True North (@TrueNorthCentre) July 16, 2024

Premier Smith said on July 17 that her province is in a “very similar position” to Quebec. She told reporters her province takes in 22% of newcomers despite having 12% of Canada’s population.

Quebec Premier Legault reiterated those concerns at the time, saying it was “not fair” his province received federal assistance while other provinces did not. “I would prefer to receive less [money] in the future and have less asylum seekers,” he said.

Data shows the province has accepted 300,000 more migrants, not including permanent residents, over the past two years. As of January 1, 2024, Quebec housed 54% of all asylum seekers in Canada.

Housing asylum seekers is a provincial responsibility, according to the Department of Immigration. However, the federal government has spent taxpayer dollars housing newcomers in hotels in Ontario and Quebec for years. 

The Trudeau government spent over $93 million booking hotels to accommodate asylum seekers between September 2021 and January 2023. These include 10 hotels in Montreal, including a 112-room hotel near Pierre Elliott Trudeau Airport.

Public support for current immigration levels continues to fall.

At the Council of Federation, several premiers made an urgent call for the Trudeau Liberals to alleviate Canada’s migrant crisis.

READ MORE: https://t.co/B0NkMv3vhu pic.twitter.com/PGQpCQTls1

— Rebel News Canada (@RebelNews_CA) July 19, 2024

While Alberta has had fewer asylum claims, this class of newcomer has increased by roughly double or more, during the first five months of the year, compared to the same period last year.

Rebel News sent a follow-up request on the number of asylum seekers Alberta houses and their corresponding costs. We did not receive a response at the time of publication.

Plattsburgh is a transient city where migrants disembark buses, including those from New York, and then hop into a taxi and towards the Canadian border.

FULL REPORT by @ThevoiceAlexa: https://t.co/9wLpru6LJN pic.twitter.com/32pmfdgi5g

— Rebel News Canada (@RebelNews_CA) March 1, 2023

Koehler told Rebel in the first inquiry that immigration growth should be focused on the economic class and immigration levels to reflect labour market needs. “Alberta continues to advocate for a minimum of 65% in economic immigration within immigration levels,” he said.

Koehler said conversations with the federal government remain ongoing. “This includes ad-hoc meetings, as well as regular meetings like the Forum of Ministers Responsible for Immigration,” he notes.

Minister Miller says the number of asylum claimants “aren't going down drastically anytime soon," despite 60% of Canadians saying immigration levels are too high.