The MP for Portage-Lisgar says the strain of refugees illegally entering Canada from the United States is causing problems for our immigration system.

Conservative House Leader Candice Bergen says a tweet sent out over a year ago by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau with the hashtag #welcometocanada was "irresponsible" and she feels this is what has caused this influx in refugees.

"The biggest challenge that we've seen everyday in our MP offices are people who are trying to come to Canada legally," says Bergen. "They're either going through the immigration economic stream, maybe they're trying to reunite with a family member... we also have legitimate refugees coming from countries like Syria, and we have sponsors in our communities, and all of these people are having to wait sometimes years because they're in the line up. Meanwhile people coming across from the U.S. are jumping the queue, getting ahead of the line. That's so unfair and it's wrong for all the people who're trying to come to Canada legally."

Bergen stresses this is a problem that government needs to address, noting Prime Minister Trudeau has failed so far. She feels he's only created more problems and refused to acknowledge that something needs to be done at the border.

Bergen notes we've had a really solid immigration system over the last fifty years. She says this situation is hurting the system and the good that comes from it.

Aside from the backlog of the system, Bergen says other concerns from the illegal refugees are, what she calls, the "legitimate" security concerns.

"Yesterday Justin Trudeau accused anyone asking these questions of fear-mongering," Bergen says. "I personally don't believe that if somebody in my riding has a legitimate question around illegal border crossers and are they safe to be in Canada, and why are they being told they can't be in the U.S., and then Canada's taking them? What's the reason? I think those are legitimate questions that the government and the Prime Minister should be answering. He shouldn't be calling people fear mongers for having legitimate quesitons about the safety of country and the integrity of our immigration process."

Bergen says along the Quebec border there's tent cities full of illegal border crossers, with people also being housed in the entire Olympic Stadium in Montreal. She adds this is a strain on Canada's resources, noting some people are actually in harm's way trying to cross during winter months.

Another MP in Quebec wants to make the entire border an official border crossing, which would close the Safe Third Country Agreement loophole that encourages would-be refugees in the U.S. to claim asylum in Canada.

The Canadian Council of Refugees is also calling for a suspension of the agreement, which allows Canada and the U.S. each declare the other country safe for refugees and close the door on most refugee claimants at the US-Canada border.