Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has a message for asylum seekers: crossing illegally into the country doesn't offer an advantage when it comes to obtaining refugee status in Canada.
"If I could directly speak to people seeking asylum, I'd like to remind them there's no advantage," Trudeau said at a news conference Sunday in Montreal.
"Our rules, our principles and our laws apply to everyone."
Trudeau's comments come as the government grapples with a surge in asylum seekers crossing into Quebec.
In the first two weeks of August,
more than 3,800 people walked over the border into the province, compared to the 2,996 who crossed throughout all of July.
Speaking prior to Montreal's Pride Parade, Trudeau stressed that anyone seeking refugee status will have to go through Canada's "rigorous" screening process.