Gabriel Mujimbere arrived in Canada in late 2015 as a refugee from Burundi and benefited from services at the YMCA's program for refugees and asylum seekers. According to the Canada Border Services Agency, Quebec accounted for nearly 700 of the total cases in which the RCMP intercepted “irregular” asylum seekers. The YMCA shelter in downtown Montreal, near the former home of the Montreal Canadiens, is the place some asylum-seekers meet what they describe as their first Canadian family. The 2004 accord prevents prospective refugees already in the U.S. from filing their claims at the Canadian border, and vice versa. In the YMCA in downtown Montreal, the Quebec government runs a refugee resettlement program that has been praised for the services it offers asylum seekers.

Source: thestar April 02, 2017 10:52 UTC