The Prime Minister of Quebec, François Legault, was received Thursday morning at the Hôtel de Matignon by his newly appointed French counterpart, Michel Barnier, for an interview during which he announced that he would discuss immigration.
Mr. Legault, who is the first head of government that Mr. Barnier received at Matignon, was welcomed with great honors. All the splendor of such an event was displayed for the occasion: red carpet and Republican Guard as his car entered the main courtyard.
It is a “very important” meeting, Mr. Barnier replied to journalists as the two men climbed the steps, all smiles. This heat contrasted with the cool temperature of this gloomy day in Paris.
Besides these two words, Mr. Barnier did not address the press, both by welcoming his guest and 45 minutes later by greeting him at the end.
Quebec is a place that “is dear” to Prime Minister Barnier, one of his spokespersons told The Canadian Pressand it is “a key partner for the promotion and defense of the Francophonie”.
Wednesday evening, during a live interview on TV5 Monde, Mr. Legault clarified that the theme of immigration – which seems central to his visit – would be addressed in his discussions with Mr. Barnier, as was the case last week with French President Emmanuel Macron.
Quebecers have “exactly the same feeling” as the French of being “a little jostled by the number” of immigrants, he said.
And English is “a real threat,” he said, repeating the presenter’s words. This is why the issue of discoverability of French-speaking content on digital platforms will be an important theme of the Francophonie Summit which will open on Friday at the Château de Villers-Cotterêts, in the suburbs of Paris.
“If we tell newcomers: ‘you can speak the language you want’, in North America, it’s tempting to say: ‘I’m going to go to the Internet, I’m going to go to Netflix, to Spotify, then all my life will be spent in English,” said Mr. Legault. That means that in 25 years, in 50 years, what will be left of French in Montreal? »
Mr Barnier said in his inaugural speech to Parliament on Tuesday that he wants to “better control” the number of people coming to France and proposed to “facilitate” the detention of foreigners who are staying in the country illegally pending implementation. expulsion orders.
The same day, in a press scrum, Mr. Legault, who had just arrived in France, asked Ottawa to establish “waiting zones” for asylum seekers as is done in France and even to move them in other provinces.
In France, a foreigner arriving by boat, train or plane may be placed in a waiting zone at the border if he requests asylum, if he is refused entry or if he is allowed to board the country of final destination. was refused. This can last up to 26 days.
On Wednesday, Mr. Legault stepped up with a new request. According to him, Ottawa should outright force half of the 160,000 asylum seekers present in Quebec to move to other provinces, which has provoked the indignation of the federal government which accuses it of making almost “inhumane” remarks.
Busy day
Before going to Matignon, on the third day of his mission in France, Mr. Legault visited the head office of the French aeronautics giant Safran. The company has more than a thousand employees in Quebec and its big boss declared when welcoming the Prime Minister that he plans to set up a site in Coteau-du-Lac, in Montérégie.
At noon, Mr. Legault went to the headquarters of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to give a speech. UNESCO, which brings together 194 member states, is the only UN institution that welcomes a representative from Quebec.
The ten-minute speech must be given in front of representatives of more than 80 permanent delegations, including around fifty ambassadors. Mr. Legault hears about the French language and culture in the digital space.
He is also expected at the FrancoTech economic forum organized by the Sommet de la Francophonie, which brings together French-speaking entrepreneurs.
In the evening, he will meet with representatives of the French electronics group THALES. Then, the last element of his program will be a meeting with former French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, whom he received in Quebec last spring.
With information from the Associated Press