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Premier François Legault says the Trudeau government must force asylum seekers and refugees to head for other provinces as Québec grapples with a housing crisis.

On Wednesday, Legault told reporters he wants half of Québec’s would-be refugees to go elsewhere. Despite having 22% of the national population, he contends the province takes in 45% of asylum seekers nationwide.

The feds are currently advocating for other provinces to do their fair share. But Immigration Minister Marc Miller says they won’t force provinces to take in more people.

“It's always based on a consensual model — the consent of asylum seekers first and foremost, but also the consent of the provinces,” Miller said during a CBC interview.

“The challenge we were talking about is what to do with all of the asylum seekers who are concentrated very heavily in two provinces, Ontario and Quebec,” he added.

The Trudeau government is offering reimbursement to provinces that settle more asylum seekers and refugees, reported Global News.

“There's money on the table,” Minister Miller said. “There's over a billion dollars that we've committed,” he added.

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

The Alberta government contends they have not received a dollar from the federal government, despite dealing with a similar housing crisis to Québec.

Premier Danielle Smith told reporters on July 17 that Alberta takes in 22% of newcomers despite having 12% of Canada’s population.

Miller earlier said the number of asylum seekers “aren't going down drastically anytime soon,” despite 60% of Canadians saying immigration levels are too high. 

On Tuesday, Legault asked Ottawa to create “waiting zones” for asylum seekers entering the country, following up on a July 22 proposal sent to the Department of Immigration and Public Safety. He received no response.

The premier told reporters then that Canada should take inspiration from France. “So can we think about having waiting zones in other provinces?” he posed.

Minister Miller accused Legault of using immigration for political ends, continuing his tirade against Conservative premiers on the matter.

“Secure zones are [far] from anything that has been conceived in Canada,” Miller said. “I think Mr. Legault is desperately trying to keep the public’s attention on the immigration issue.”

Europe, in particular, observed a growing appeal for right-wing populism, as displayed in the most recent European Parliamentary elections. 

In France, newcomers can be placed in a “waiting zone” at the border for up to 26 days if they are seeking asylum.