Wanting to fix what isn’t broken creates problems instead of solving them.
We saw it when the Legault government decided to review the way of setting electricity rate increases, which was nevertheless working well, to introduce a generous dose of arbitrariness and politics.1.
We also see it with an immigration program that was once a jewel in Quebec, but that the CAQ decided to sabotage against everyone’s advice: the Quebec Experience Program, or PEQ.
We are talking here about a program that targets future immigrants whose profile is exactly the one we are trying to retain here: francophones or francized people, already present in the territory, integrated into society. The PEQ is intended for foreign students and temporary workers already in Quebec.
In 2019, the Legault government decided to turn this fast track into a bumpy road by increasing the requirements for candidates.
Today, we measure the damage.
There has been a marked decline in the popularity of the PEQ, according to figures obtained by The duty under the Access to Information Act2.
Last year, barely 5,900 immigrants obtained their selection certificate under the PEQ. This is roughly four times less than in 2021 and three times less than in 2020. It is also considerably less than the CAQ’s own targets, which aimed to select between 9,000 and 11,000 people with this program.
In the midst of a labor shortage, the mess is spectacular. Quebec is in the process of depriving itself of thousands of workers who meet all the desirable criteria and which we sorely need.
The drop is all the more worrying because until the first half of 2022, several immigrants were still able to benefit from the old rules. If nothing is done, we can think that admissions in 2023 will be even more anemic.
What is happening was however written in the sky and announced by all the experts. It’s not rocket science: by placing obstacles in the way of immigrants, we discourage them.
True, the worst part of the PEQ reform, first piloted by Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette when he headed the Department of Immigration, has been abandoned. Fortunately ! It is hard to imagine where we would be today if this had not been the case.
But the Legault government still completely closed the PEQ to the least qualified workers, whom we nevertheless need due to the labor shortage. This is the case, for example, of beneficiary attendants, waiters, cashiers and factory labourers. And he required long months of work experience in Quebec for the others.
It is possible that some of these people chose to go through the Regular Skilled Worker Program, a completely different program that requires receiving an invitation from the government for a candidate to be selected. There has been a significant increase in admissions in 2022 and it is possible that this will offset part of the losses of the PEQ.
But the immigration lawyers we spoke to are categorical: many of their clients have simply chosen to immigrate to other provinces, where the procedures are less long and tedious. This includes many French speakers.
The federal government thus has its own “Canadian experience” program, whose criteria are now more flexible than that of Quebec. In 2021, the federal government has also created a temporary fast lane for 90,000 essential workers and foreign graduate students, with dedicated places for Francophones.
The good news is that the office of the new Minister of Immigration, Christine Fréchette, recognizes the problem. We say we are working on solutions and we promise announcements soon.
But short of pulling a rabbit out of a hat, it’s hard to see what the minister could do beyond mitigating the obstacles that her predecessors put up before her.
Clearly, we will have brewed a lot of air and pointed a lot of people… to probably return to the initial situation.
Let’s just hope someone in the Legault government will learn from this and put the case in the “things not to repeat” column.
The story so far
2010
The Quebec experience program (PEQ) was created to facilitate the obtaining of the Quebec selection certificate for foreign students and temporary workers who speak French (level 7 required).
2019
Simon Jolin-Barrette, then Minister of Immigration, proposed a first reform of the PEQ which set fire to the powder. Its access is limited to certain categories of employment according to a restrictive and obsolete list.
2020
The successor to Simon Jolin-Barrette, Nadine Girault, gives birth to a less brutal reform of the PEQ. However, this is reserved for skilled jobs and the work experience required is enhanced.
2022
The number of candidates admitted has fallen sharply.