Quebec, the French-speaking province of Canada, will host the next year 20% less than immigrants of which he has received, this 2018. The newly appointed minister of immigration in quebec, Simon Jolin-Barrette, presented this Tuesday before the National Assembly a draft law that aims to reduce the arrival of new neighbors. The victory in 74 of the 125 constituencies adjudicated last October by the Coalition for the Future of Quebec (CAQ) will guarantee an approval without any major obstacles. François Legault, the prime minister incoming and founder of CWC, promised during his election campaign that this proposal would be carried out. This week it has become clear that he was in earnest.
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on The 28th of November, to pronounce the inaugural speech of the new legislature, Legault dealt with the theme: “we Want to reduce the immigration quotas so as to have the best means to integrate immigrants into the labour market, the majority French-speaking, and to our common values, particularly equality between men and women”. This year, Quebec has received about 50,000 immigrants and the goal for 2019 is around 40,000, one-fifth less.
The project presented by the CWC, the political group that he inflicted a severe defeat at the polls to the Liberal Party and the Party Quebecois, taking into account their reductions to the three categories of immigrants: the calculations project that will arrive between 21.700 and 24.300 selected for economic immigration; between 8.900 and 9,400 in under the family reunification program; and between 6.800 and 7,500 refugees. The minister Jolin-Barrette said in front of their peers legislative that it is a temporary measure.
Some deputies of the opposition were not slow in expressing their criticism of the proposed law, calling vague figures who support it, nourished by prejudice and devoid of instruments to measure its effectiveness, especially because it is not known under what elements will be suspended or renewed in the future. It should be noted that Legault promised in the campaign that the immigrants must adopt, three years after his arrival, an examination of values “quebec”, with elements such as equality between men and women, attachment to secularism and a test of French. However, the draft presented by the CWC does not include these points.
Justin Trudeau, canadian prime minister, has mentioned several times that the plans of the new Government in quebec do not reflect Maksibet the tradition of canadian or own Quebec in terms of openness and hospitality to people from other destinations. Hours before the minister Jolin-Barrette submit the proposal in the provincial Assembly, Trudeau told the purpose of the economic immigration: “What I hear in all of Quebec is that employers are concerned by the shortage of labour. I’m not sure that this is the best time to reduce the amount of people that come.”
The Canadian Federation of Independent Business published the same day that a bill was submitted a report stating that there are some 430,000 job vacancy in Canada; 118.000 have Quebec. In turn, the Chamber of Commerce of Montreal has already pronounced on the challenges that would imply a decline in the number of immigrants.
The coastal town has competences for the selection of economic immigration. However, family reunifications and refugees, are the jurisdiction of the federal Government. The proposed law on the CWC means therefore a problem of weight for Trudeau. The prime minister pointed out that maintaining open channels of communication with Quebec to discuss the options available. The overall picture is far from simple for the canadian leader, as this adds to the friction existing with some provinces for environmental and energy issues. All of this with the federal election set for next October.
Dominic LeBlanc, federal minister of government affairs, spoke about a few days ago the proposal: “we would Not like to have a system that works at different speeds, where families are reunited more quickly in New Brunswick or in Ontario than in Quebec”. What Jolin-Barrette, of Immigration, he responded with an invitation “to adjust the number of immigrants who arrive in Quebec in accordance with the will expressed by quebec in the elections”. In addition to evoking the results of the election, the CWC relies on a survey made public last week in which 64% of the population supports the intentions of the new Government in the field of immigration: 37% said they strongly agree and 27% indicated their support of a moderate form.
