I first became interested in politics in the 1970s, during the era of scare campaigns. Fears of an economic nature against the sovereignist project: the Brink’s coup, the “piastre à Lévesque”, telling elderly people that if Quebec separates, they will have no more oranges…
Posted October 2
We find it hard to believe that we are going back to such techniques in 2022, but about immigration.
It is difficult to look at the two victorious campaigns of the Coalition avenir Québec (yes, it will win on Monday…) without seeing that fears about immigration and immigrants themselves were at the heart of the campaign strategies.
As in all campaigns of fear, we sometimes say good words to calm the game. Thus, François Legault said that “immigration is a source of wealth for Quebec”. But it must be the only form of wealth of which he wants less and no more!
The purpose of all this is transparent: to present the head of the CAQ as the guardian of the Quebec nation who will remove all dangers for it and the danger, in this case, is abroad.
In 2018, we played on the fear that immigrants did not share our values. We therefore needed a test of Quebec values before arriving in Quebec to ensure that our values were not going to be threatened, as if the immigrants were going to impose sharia or polygamy on us.
But the test is so simple – not to say simplistic – that it was passed by 99.93% of applicants for immigration. Of course, even the most cracked jihadists knows what answer he must give to the question: “In Quebec, women and men have the same rights and this equality is enshrined in law. True or false ? »
This year, the campaign of fear concerns the survival of French or, if one prefers the version of the CAQ, the survival of the Quebec nation. It is a legitimate fear. But from there to making immigrants bear the brunt of the survival of French, there is quite a margin.
If francization does not work as well as it should, it is also a failure of the host society, which has not always made all the necessary efforts.
For example, we still remember the closure of the immigrant orientation and training centers (COFI), which functioned very well and which were sacrificed by the Bouchard government to fight against the deficit.
Currently, the debate is about immigration thresholds. If we were to welcome more than 50,000 immigrants a year, it would be “suicidal” for the Quebec nation, says Mr. Legault. Incidentally, we do not know where this figure of 50,000 comes from, but, according to the government, to admit one more would be a great danger.
It is a real campaign of fear. It is to claim that immigrants are responsible for the survival or not of French Quebec.
Similarly, when the Prime Minister says it would be suicidal, he wants to cut short any form of debate. After all, no one can be for the death of the Quebec nation.
Except that a debate on the issue is healthy and necessary. And we cannot believe that the chambers of commerce, for example, want the death of the Quebec nation if they think that in these times of labor shortage, more immigrants should be welcomed.
Many people have arguments to put forward and it is normal that they can express them without the Prime Minister excommunicating them.
And it is in this climate that the “Boulet affair” occurs. A day-old statement from the Minister of Immigration, who says that immigrants are going to Montreal, not working, not learning French and rejecting our values.
Nothing in Mr. Boulet’s career suggests that this is what he really thinks. But it is clear that he spread the worst prejudices against immigrants, which is unworthy of his position.
Mr. Legault replies that this disqualifies him as Minister of Immigration, but that he will remain in office until the elections and will then be entrusted with other responsibilities.
It’s a bit strange. When you make such a huge mistake during an election period and you are disqualified from your duties by the Prime Minister, normally that means you have to withdraw. After all, it’s a lot more serious than stealing a flyer from a mailbox…
But this proves that we are indeed in a campaign of fear: fears are just good for the electoral campaign. When it’s over, we forget everything and act as if nothing had happened.
Because once fear has done its job, we continue…