Jean Boulet “disqualified” himself as Minister of Immigration after declaring that 80% of newcomers do not work, do not speak French or do not adhere to values, François Legault argued on Wednesday. But the CAQ leader himself fueled a controversy over immigration, saying that “it would be a bit suicidal” to welcome more than 50,000 newcomers a year.
Posted at 9:50 a.m.
Updated at 12:01 p.m.
“80% of immigrants go to Montreal, don’t work, don’t speak French or don’t adhere to the values of Quebec society. The key is regionalization and francization,” said Minister Boulet last Wednesday, on ICI Mauricie–Centre-du-Québec, during an election debate. His comments, which resurfaced a week later, quickly shocked.
“Immigrants, thresholds, this is a purely academic debate. You have to make sure you integrate them well,” Mr. Boulet also argued. The latter maintained that Quebec faces two challenges in immigration: “a [qui est économique]linked to the shortage of manpower, and one of language vitality”.
In fact, the share of immigrants arriving in Montreal has decreased over the past 20 years. It went from 76% in 2001 to 65% last year. If we include all of Greater Montreal, however, this figure is 82.6%. The share of immigrants going to the inner suburbs increased from 10% to 17% during this same period. In the rest of Quebec, it went from 14% to 17%.
What’s more, the employment rate of immigrants established in Montreal was 62.2%, compared to 63.3% for people born in Canada and residing on the island, according to the most recent data from Statistics Canada on the subject. .
According to the federal agency, 80.6% of immigrants established in Quebec are able to have a conversation in French. In fact, two-thirds of immigrants say they use French more than English in their daily conversations. It should be noted, however, that this latest data is from 2016, as the 2021 census data on immigration will not be released until October.
“A serious mistake”
PHOTO PATRICK SANFAÇON, THE PRESS
Francois Legault
Although Jean Boulet apologized for his remarks, François Legault claimed that he “disqualified” himself as Minister of Immigration during interviews with LCN and Radio-Canada – a question to which he had no answer. did not respond at a press conference. He can no longer hold this position “for a matter of perception and trust”. However, he keeps him as a candidate.
“Jean made a big mistake. It’s not true what he said. Mr. Boulet knows it. He says he said that in the heat of the moment, but that’s no excuse for what he said. I very much regret the words of Mr. Boulet […]. He made a serious error in judgment, ”said Mr. Legault at a press conference.
On social networks, Minister Boulet said to himself “sorry for having badly expressed (his) thought”. “The extract broadcast does not reflect what I think. We must continue to focus on the reception, francization and integration of immigrants, which are a source of wealth for Quebec,” he wrote.
“A bit suicidal”
François Legault himself caused controversy with remarks on immigration. “It would be a bit suicidal” for the Quebec nation to welcome more than 50,000 newcomers a year, he told the Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal, which is calling for raising the immigration thresholds.
“People say: where did you get that, the ability to integrate? Well, (the numbers) are clear. There is a decline (of French). If we keep the same recipe, it will give the same cake, ”he declared in front of an audience of 800 business people.
He argued that if he is re-elected, the immigration threshold will “stay at 50,000, but we will be more demanding on knowledge of French. We will try to send a greater percentage to the French-speaking regions, that will help. But as long as we have not stopped the decline of French, I think that for the Quebec nation which wants to protect French, it would be a little suicidal to go and increase “the thresholds, he launched.
Francois Legault persisted and later signed in a short scrum which his team ended abruptly. “It would be a bit suicidal for the French-speaking nation of Quebec to increase the number of immigrants,” he reiterated. He believes that “the whole of [son] message passed” in front of business people because he received a “ovation” before and after his speech.
The president of the Chamber of Commerce, Michel Leblanc, who calls for 64,000 immigrants a year, contradicted the CAQ leader. “It’s not suicidal at all. The risk we are currently running is a weakening of companies that want to grow […] and who need to fill strategic positions. We need help. Companies find it difficult to accept all the contracts that are possible, to deliver on time, to deliver the quality that is sometimes expected, simply because they are short of staff,” he told reporters. He believes it is possible to properly integrate more immigrants.
For Michel Leblanc, François Legault fuels a negative perception that benefits Bay Street. “Language is not a barrier. What is a hindrance is the perception that an immigrant who doesn’t know French well will be poorly received in Quebec society. This is a perception that people are currently using in other jurisdictions, particularly in Toronto, to try to convince these talents to go there rather than come to Montreal. We have to make sure that we don’t create that perception. »
François Legault “does not think” that his statements and those of Mr. Boulet will weigh on his campaign. He also does not believe he will have to apologize for his remarks – he has already apologized twice since the start of the campaign, notably after linking immigration and violence.
This is not Mr. Boulet’s first immigration controversy. Last December, he admitted to having misspoken in a tweet on Twitter, where he asked the Trudeau government to “close Roxham Road”, linking the file to COVID-19. “We must all mobilize in the face of the rise in cases of COVID-19 […] so as not to overload our health system, ”he wrote, which had earned him a shower of criticism.
With Pierre-André Normandin