A day after Premier Doug Ford greeted Justin Trudeau by slamming his welcome approach to asylum-seekers and refusing to aid in their relocation, the prime minister promised help is still on the way for Toronto at a city hall meeting with Mayor John Tory.

“I want to thank John for his continued leadership on this. It hasn’t always been easy. The federal government is there to be supportive,” Trudeau said.

“Canadians, we’re there for each other. We’re there for people in challenging situations. We know that we have to continue to demonstrate that our immigration system is strong and applies while staying true to our values and that’s exactly what we’re doing.”

Trudeau was speaking to reporters in a staged photo opportunity ahead of a scheduled one-on-one meeting in Tory’s second-floor office.

“I will be looking for, obviously, assistance as I have been from the federal government,” Tory cut in to say, seated next to Trudeau.

“And we’ll be there for that,” the prime minister responded.

Tory pivoted immediately to joke that in order to show deference to Trudeau he did not wear his Toronto Maple Leafs socks, referring to the time Trudeau’s ankles sported the Montreal Canadiens logo on his first visit to city hall during Tory’s leadership.

“I think we’re all baseball fans right now,” Trudeau joked.

The pleasant public exchange was markedly different from the prime minister’s visit up the street Thursday.

Ford’s newly elected Progressive Conservative government blamed Trudeau for creating a “mess” by welcoming “illegal border-crossers.”

The prime minister shot back Thursday that perhaps the rookie premier didn’t have a grasp on the migrant crisis or the UN Convention on Refugees.

Tory has repeatedly called for help from the provincial and federal governments as refugees claimants largely coming over the border in Quebec from the United States have been straining the city’s already overcapacity shelter system.

After two college dormitories were opened to house refugees this spring, they were quickly filled. When those dorms are returned to the colleges in early August, there is still no plan for where to house some 800 people including more than 250 children.

The federal government has said the province needs to partner on a plan to rehouse refugees in other areas. The prime minister offered no specifics on how his government planned to help in light of Ford’s recent statements and no media questions were allowed.

Tory said he had spoken with other mayors ahead of his meeting with Trudeau to discuss co-ordinating a response to housing and employing refugees making their way to Toronto. He said other cities were ready to help.

“I was very gratified by that,” Tory said.

The mayor and prime minister said they also planned to speak about escalating violence on Toronto streets with a recent uptick in shootings. Tory has long called for strengthening federal controls to prevent the flow of guns across the border and for tougher legislation on repeat offenders.

Children, Community and Social Services Minister Lisa MacLeod emphasized Friday at Queen’s Park that the provincial government’s concern is with “illegal border-crossers,” who are flouting the rules.

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“It’s disturbing that the prime minister and others are deliberately confusing . . . legitimate refugees with these illegal border-crossers,” MacLeod said.

“Frankly, they know better. It was the federal government who has encouraged this and it is the federal government who continues to usher it in across the U.S.-Quebec border into Ontario,” she said.

“Since 2017, nearly 28,000 people have crossed the border illegally, coming to Canada, and according to our prime minister only hundreds have been sent back.”

MacLeod said this has resulted in “a housing crisis” in Toronto.

“This has started to threaten the services that Ontario families depend upon,” she said. “This mess was created by the federal government and the federal government should foot 100 per cent of the bills.”

The minister stressed that “Ontario is not withdrawing from any immigration agreements,” including one signed by Trudeau and former premier Kathleen Wynne last November.

“Ontario is, and always has been, a welcoming place,” she said. “Our province will always welcome those who want to come to our province, set up roots and build a life. There is, however, a process that is not currently being followed by some.”

It’s not accurate to describe refugee claimants crossing the border as “illegal border-crossers.” In a news release Friday, advocates for refugees responded to the recent news by correcting that rhetoric circulating this week.

“We are deeply disturbed by politicians and media inaccurately describing refugee claimants as illegal entrants into Canada,” Lobat Sadrehashemi, President of Canadian Association of Refugee Lawyers said in joint news release. “Asylum seekers have the legal right to cross the border to make a refugee claim.”

The news release went on to note that: the Safe Third Country Agreement between Canada and the United States “prevents asylum seekers from making a refugee claim at a regular border crossing.”

“As a result they are entering Canada irregularly in order to ask for asylum, which is not illegal.”

With files from Robert Benzie and Nicholas Keung

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