N.B. premier's asylum seeker comments spark controversy

Claims from New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs that Ottawa wants to force the province to take in 4,600 asylum seekers are 'largely fictitious,' says federal Immigration Minister Marc Miller.

Shortly after 6 p.m. on Wednesday, New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs took to social media with a big claim.

“Provincial officials were invited to the conference call in which it was shared by the federal officials in Ottawa that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government is considering a plan to send 4600 asylum seekers to New Brunswick without providing any financial assistance […],”Higgs said on a video he posted to X.

Higgs says the information, and the number of asylum seekers, came from a document called the Distribution of Open Asylum Claims in Humanitarian Volume, which gives the breakdown in every province.

"They've put this information out there. There should be a plan to go with it,” said Higgs on Thursday. “When I look at, you know, statements being made and how it impacts right across this country, you're going to hear more than just from New Brunswick. You’re going to hear from every province."

Higgs says the province’s health care and education system cannot handle this influx.

His social media post sparked backlash, with many claiming the information he shared isn’t accurate.

“When he announced that, I couldn’t believe my ears. I mean, it was a boldfaced lie the way he presented it,” said Green Party leader David Coon.