Just moments ahead of his first meeting with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, new Ontario Premier Doug Ford blamed the housing crisis – and other problems – on the federal government’s liberal stance on asylum seekers and refugees entering Canada.

Ford’s office released a statement July 5 that criticized the federal government for having “encouraged illegal border-crossers to come into our country.”

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The statement said, “This has resulted in a housing crisis and threats to the services that Ontario families depend on."

It added, "This mess was 100 per cent the result of the federal government, and the federal government should foot 100 per cent of the bills.”

Source: Office of the Premier of Ontario

After what was reportedly a tense first meeting with the Ontario Premier, Prime Minister Trudeau came out alone to speak with media about his response to Ford’s statement and their subsequent discussion.

“I spent a little time explaining [to Ford] how the asylum-seeking system works and how our system is supposed to operate,” Trudeau told media in Toronto. “At the same time, I agreed that it would be good for our officials to sit down and get clarity on how we can actually work together to ensure that we are holding true to our values but making sure that our immigration and refugee system is being applied in its integrity.”