Number of people seeking asylum in Canada at levels not seen since 2009
Asylum seekers sit in front of their tent in a temporary camp near Saint-Bernard-de-Lacolle, Que. on Tues., Aug. 15, 2017. (Paul Chiasson / THE CANADIAN PRESS)
OTTAWA — The number of people seeking asylum in Canada is now the highest it’s been since 2009, driven in part by a surge in asylum seekers showing up at the Canada-U.S. border.
New statistics released Tuesday by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada show that as of August, 27,440 claims for of asylum have been filed in Canada, a peak since record highs of between 36,000 and 33,000 in 2008 and 2009.
