Published Jan 12, 2023 \u2022 Last updated Jan 12, 2023 \u2022 3 minute read<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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A prominent Quebec author and historian at the head of a Quebec activist group has initiated a private criminal prosecution against Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, claiming the prime minister has encouraged illegal immigration into Canada, in violation of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Fr\u00e9d\u00e9ric Bastien, president of Justice pour le Quebec, alleges that Trudeau made comments that encouraged illegal crossings into Canada at the infamous Roxham Road border point between New York State and Quebec. Private citizens in Canada have the right to initiate criminal proceedings without relying on the Crown to initiate them. Bastien said he believes he has reasonable grounds to proceed with the prosecution, which if successful could result in the prime minister being subject to a fine or even imprisonment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In his court filings, Bastien made reference to a widely publicized tweet by Trudeau in 2017 in which the prime minister said Canadians will welcome \u201cthose fleeing persecution, terror and war,\u201d after U.S. president Donald Trump issued a travel ban for Muslim-majority countries and suspended refugee claims.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bastien also pointed to comments made by Trudeau in 2022<\/a> suggesting that closing the irregular crossing at Roxham Road would not stop the arrival of asylum-seekers and that migrants would simply \u201ccross elsewhere.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bastien said Trudeau is \u201cnot a normal citizen\u201d voicing his opinion or using his freedom of expression, and that his public declarations had real-life consequences such as encouraging people to cross into Canada at Roxham Road.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo one is above the law,\u201d said Bastien of Trudeau. \u201cIt\u2019s a matter of justice,\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bastien, a professor at Montreal\u2019s Dawson College, is a former Parti Qu\u00e9b\u00e9cois leadership contender who courted controversy with his 2013 book that accused a former Supreme Court justice of improperly interfering in the 1982 patriation of Canada\u2019s constitution. The book led to a Supreme Court internal investigation, which failed to substantiate the claim.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Roxham Road, situated south of Montreal, has proven a popular way for asylum-seekers to avoid the Safe Third Country agreement, which prevents Canada from accepting refugee claims entering from the U.S. It has been a point of contention with Quebec as the province receives the bulk of irregular arrivals and is expected to provide social services for arrivals while the federal government evaluates the legality of their claims.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A recent compilation from the Journal de Montreal<\/a> showed that a record number of 150,000 asylum seekers entered Canada since Trudeau\u2019s 2017 tweet. Of that number, 91,000 entered through Roxham Road.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Quebec premier Fran\u00e7ois Legault has been asking the federal government to permanently close the entry point, a position echoed by the Bloc Qu\u00e9b\u00e9cois, and more recently by Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n A L\u00e9ger poll last May<\/a> showed that 60 per cent of Quebecers wanted Roxham Road closed. Bastien said a poll commissioned by his own group, Justice pour le Qu\u00e9bec (Justice for Quebec), found that 68 per cent of Quebecers strongly or moderately agree with that position.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI think that people are actually very frustrated because this process is bypassing the law,\u201d said Bastien. \u201cThere\u2019s a way to actually migrate to Canada\u2026 if you\u2019re a refugee, if you want to seek refugee status in Canada, we have some laws, we have some rules in this country.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAnd what is going on now is that basically the government is helping people to violate the rules to bypass the law,\u201d he said. \u201cThe more that goes on, the more frustrated people get.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n A justice of the peace must determine if Bastien\u2019s arguments have legal basis in order for the private prosecution to proceed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Justice pour le Qu\u00e9bec last year launched a court challenge against the City of Toronto<\/a> over its support for a legal challenge against Quebec\u2019s Bill 21, banning certain public service from wearing religious symbols on the job. It It also launched a court challenge against the appointment of Governor General Mary Simon, claiming her inability to speak French disqualified her.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/canadafirst.nfshost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/FREDERIC-BASTIEN.jpg\")
<\/a>The end of Roxham Road where thousands of asylum seekers have illegally crossed the border into Canada. Photo by Ryan Remiorz\/The Canadian Press\/File<\/p>\n\n\n\n