Of that number, more than 7,300 people entered Canada through Quebec. About 150 illegals each entered Ontario and British Columbia in the same manner this year.
The Quebec government is calling on Ottawa to help cover the costs associated with the "excessive influx of asylum seekers in the province."
Federal Minister of Public Safety Ralph Goodale said earlier this month that his government is negotiating with the US to renew an agreement called the Safe Third Country. This allows both the US and Canada to be considered safe for refugees and gives both countries the ability to return asylum seekers at border crossings. Except for those who cross the border at illegal locations.
As previously reported, Trudeau's Liberals and the opposition Conservatives blame each other for the problems caused by the increase in refugees illegally entering Canada from the US – an influx that shows no signs of slowing down.
"This has been a problem for over a year, but the prime minister has taken no concrete steps to solve it," said Conservative leader Andrew Scheer. "Meanwhile, families in Canada waiting to be reunited with loved ones, or genuine refugees facing real danger, have to wait longer because of the government's inaction. Why?"
In response, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau countered that the long delays in processing asylum claims were caused by funding cuts to the Canada Border Services Agency made by the previous Conservative administration of Stephen Harper.
Last year, the RCMP intercepted a total of 20,493 people who illegally crossed the Canadian border.