A majority of federal elected officials adopted a motion on Monday calling for a review of immigration targets this year and the holding of a meeting between prime ministers on the issue.
The Conservatives and New Democrats rallied behind the Bloc initiative.
The text calls for the government to table, within 100 days, “a review plan” of the annual levels of new permanent residents “based on the reception capacity of Quebec, the provinces and the territories”, and this, “from 2024”.
“We need tools to measure, after one, two, three, four years, the quality of integration and the quality of life in general of people who have chosen to come and live in Quebec,” declared last week the leader of the Bloc Québécois, Yves-François Blanchet, during the debate on the motion.
He argued that this goes well beyond the newcomers’ ability to speak French. “It’s a set of variables […] Have we recognized your diploma? Do you have a decent job? Do you have reasonably priced accommodation? », he listed.
He stressed that the motion also aims to recall another that had been adopted – this one unanimously, therefore with the support of the Liberals. The previous wording required that Ottawa consult Quebec and the other provinces before setting its pan-Canadian objectives and that the “government [revoie] its immigration targets” based on such consultations.
This version was approved on 1er November, the same day that federal Immigration Minister Marc Miller announced that he was maintaining the target of 485,000 new permanent residents in 2024.
He indicated that the target of 500,000 new permanent residents in 2025 also remained, but that a freeze would then come into force in 2026.
Mr. Miller’s Quebec counterpart, Christine Fréchette, affirmed that the province had not been adequately consulted by Ottawa.
Mr. Miller, for his part, said he had spoken with Mr.me Fréchette, although he also stressed that discussions also took place “regularly” at the level of “the senior civil service”.
The federal minister’s office told The Canadian Press that the Liberals opposed the new motion because it requires a plan within 100 days to revise the three-year targets announced in November. That said, we wanted to add that discussions are still taking place continuously to reassess the needs with a view to the next levels, for 2026-2028.
Last Thursday, Mr. Miller maintained that the consultations carried out in 2023 with the provinces, but also other stakeholders, were “even more in-depth” than they could have been in previous years.
“Immigration levels for 2024 already reflect the needs of Canadians in all regions of the country, support Canada’s population growth while moderating its impact on essential national systems such as housing, infrastructure,” said the minister. .
He criticized the Bloc for leaving “a lot of things unsaid” since they mention a “revision” of the targets when “they mean that they want to revise downwards without having consulted the government of Quebec.”
“I would ask them […]if they don’t want to be stage managers, tell me [si] reception capacity includes measuring the labor shortage. […] They do not seem to take this factor into account when they do their analysis,” argued the minister.
For their part, the New Democrats insisted on the resources sent to provincial governments. MP Jenny Kwan said Ottawa “failed” and should make sure to provide enough money “to help the province have this capacity to resettle newcomers.”
Jagmeet Singh’s troops also had the Bloc motion amended so that the plan requested within 100 days includes measures “aimed at ensuring that adequate resources are provided to Quebec, the provinces and the territories to allow successful resettlement” .
Conservative elected official Tom Kmiec, for his part, noted the long processing times that accumulate at the Immigration Department, which have been widely documented by the Auditor General.
“We, the conservatives, [se focalise] absolutely about what the experience of newcomers to Canada is like. Today, this is not the experience I had when I arrived there through Quebec,” said the MP of Polish origin.
The targets referred to in the Bloc motion do not concern temporary immigration, which has seen a significant jump. Ottawa has promised to take action to adjust the number of admissions of temporary residents and has so far announced measures regarding study permits.