RCMP stopped 887 people trying to illegally enter Canada last month
OTTAWA — The number of people stopped by the RCMP after illegally entering Canada rose in March.
New figures released Wednesday by the federal government show the RCMP intercepted 887 people crossing between official border points, up from 658 in February and 315 in January.
Of those stopped in March, 644 were picked up in Quebec, 170 in Manitoba and 71 in B.C., with lone crossers nabbed in Alberta and New Brunswick.
While none were picked up in Saskatchewan in the first three months of the year, on Wednesday the RCMP said they charged a woman with human smuggling after intercepting nine refugee claimants crossing the border into that province from the United States last Friday.