Canadians divided on granting entry to asylum seekers from U.S., [Nanos] poll finds

Somewhat surprised that public opinion is so divided, given that concern over “queue jumping” and irregular arrivals tends to mean less confidence in Canada’s ability to manage immigration:

More than 12,000 asylum seekers have crossed into Canada at a single unofficial crossing point along the Quebec-United States border this year, surpassing the province’s expectations for all of 2017.

The numbers come as a new survey shows that Canadians are equally divided over whether the country should welcome asylum seekers from the United States or close its borders to them. A Nanos poll found that more than one-third of Canadians – 37 per cent – say Canada should welcome asylum seekers from the United States, while the same percentage of respondents think Canada should close its borders; 26 per cent were unsure.

“There’s very few times that Canadians are so evenly divided on an issue,” pollster Nik Nanos said.

“This is a recipe for a continued and prolonged debate about what to do when people show up at the Canadian border and ask for asylum.”

Source: Canadians divided on granting entry to asylum seekers from U.S., poll finds – The Globe and Mail