Immigration in Québec: François Legault intensifies his rhetoric

Over the past few weeks, François Legault has stepped up his rhetoric on immigration. During his trip to France, the Premier reiterated that Québec is facing major immigration challenges, particularly due to the large number of asylum seekers. He proposed transferring half of them, about 80,000, to other provinces and suggested creating "waiting zones" to better manage their arrival.

According to Legault, the massive arrival of temporary workers and refugees is putting enormous pressure on public services such as housing, education and health care, while threatening the vitality of the French language. He also criticized the federal government’s asylum processing times, which can sometimes reach three years. The Premier claims to have the support of a majority of Quebeckers and criticizes the opposition parties for their lack of constructive solutions to the problem.

For his part, Justin Trudeau responded by pointing out that Québec already controls a large share of temporary work permits. However, he expressed an openness to working with Québec to reduce asylum processing times and redistribute refugees to other provinces. Trudeau also warned against blaming immigration alone for housing problems and pressure on public services, noting that these issues are complex and shared across the country.

In response to Legault's concerns, the federal government announced $750 million in aid to help Québec cope with these migratory pressures. This aid is aimed at speeding up the processing of asylum claims, improving the visa system, and ensuring better integration of temporary workers, particularly by increasing the number of francophones.

This debate raises important questions about the future of Québec's immigration policy and its role in preserving the French language, as well as the shared responsibilities of the provincial and federal governments. With the Parti Québécois leading in the polls, the Premier sees immigration as a way to address issues dear to the sovereigntist party, namely reducing the number of immigrants to Québec and protecting the French language, in hopes of bringing voters tempted by the Parti Québécois back into the fold.