Conservative Party leader Andrew Scheer pledged on Wednesday that if elected his party would take steps to limit illegal border crossings by migrants who first travel to the United States and then proceed to Canada.

The Conservatives would "prioritize newcomers from violent and dangerous countries, and restore Canadians' faith in an immigration system that has served this country so well for so long," Scheer said at a press conference in Hemmingford, Quebec.

Since 2004, the Safe Third Country Agreement has required immigrants to make refugee claims in the first country they arrive. If a person arrives in Canada by unregulated means from the United States, they can apply for refugee status in Canada.