A majority of federal elected officials adopted a motion on Monday calling for a review of federal 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 plan to revise federal immigration targets from 2024 based on the reception capacity of Quebec, the provinces and the territories.”
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 from 2024” based on such consultations.
This version was adopted 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, maintained that he had spoken with Ms. Fréchette, although he also emphasized that discussions also took place “regularly” at the level of “the senior civil service”.
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