SDSG – Local MP Eric Duncan says the federal budget failed to address the running cost to Cornwall for the asylum claimant processing center at Ramada Inn.
“Locally, I am disappointed but sadly not surprised, that Budget 2023 did not include a response to the request from community leaders on the serious strains that the IRCC Processing Center has caused in Cornwall over the last few months,” Duncan said in a news release Wednesday.
Duncan says it’s been nearly two months since he called on the government to have a plan and resources for local services that are “already overwhelmed.”
The City of Cornwall has estimated the compensation should be around $2 million.
The Liberals announced the closure of Roxham Road – the so-called irregular crossing for migrants – during a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and U.S. President Joe Biden.
But Duncan says that doesn’t address nor “fix our broken immigration system or clear the millions of backlogged applications.”
The Stormont-Dundas-South Glengarry MP says he, like fellow Conservatives, can’t support the budget.
The federal budget adds nearly $60 billion in new spending over the next five years while promising to find savings in the public service ($9.8 billion) and more revenue through taxes ($11.7 billion).