Increase in asylum seekers at border in December as 2017 sets record for claims

OTTAWA — December brought a rise in the number of asylum seekers apprehended between formal entry points at the Canada-U.S. border.
New figures from the federal government show 1,978 people were stopped by the RCMP, up from 1,623 the month before.
The majority were stopped in Quebec, with others in Manitoba and British Columbia.
The December crossings still pale in comparison to a spike of over 5,000 people stopped in Quebec alone in August.
But, the figures make December the third-busiest