The premier of New Brunswick says the federal government has a plan to move tens of thousands of asylum seekers around Canada to take the pressure off of Quebec and Ontario.

At a speech in Moncton Wednesday afternoon, Blaine Higgs said that provincial government officials were brought into a conference call on Tuesday and told that “Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government is considering a plan to send 4,600 asylum seekers to New Brunswick without providing any federal financial assistance.”

“The Trudeau government is essentially saying, ‘Here are 4,600 people, figure it out,’ and that is not acceptable,” said Higgs.

Currently, there are just 384 asylum claimants in the Atlantic province.

“New Brunswick has always been a welcoming province. We have a long history of embracing diversity and helping those in need,” said Higgs. “But this sudden and unilateral proposal by Ottawa is deeply concerning, and I feel obligated to share the challenges it will bring to our province.”