The Prime Minister of Quebec, François Legault, salutes “the good intentions” of his counterpart in Ottawa, Justin Trudeau, at the end of a meeting in Montreal where the protection of French and immigration occupied a place of choice.
Mr. Legault notably expressed his concerns about the many arrivals of refugees through Roxham Road, evoking the possibility that some of them will have to live in other provinces of the country. Mr. Legault also wants to increase the percentage of newcomers who are French-speaking.
Health transfers, the cost of living and immigration are among the topics that were to be discussed during this meeting, which finally took place on Tuesday in the metropolis. The two prime ministers met around 9:15 a.m. for a discussion that reportedly lasted about an hour.
The two elected officials differ in particular on the position concerning the number of immigrants that the province should welcome. Ottawa indicated last November its wish to welcome 500,000 immigrants per year by 2025. This announcement was then coldly received by Quebec, which wishes to limit its immigration thresholds to 50,000 per year to facilitate the integration of immigrants and the protection of French.
However, by doing so, Quebec would risk reducing its demographic weight in relation to the rest of Canada. This is how, after describing during the election campaign that it would be “a little suicidal” to raise the immigration threshold above 50,000, François Legault opened the door last month to raising this number, or even to index it annually.
Justin Trudeau, for his part, declared in an interview with The Canadian Press last week that Quebec would have the capacity to welcome up to 112,000 immigrants per year, a statement strongly criticized by the Legault government.
The two prime ministers were originally scheduled to meet last Friday, but harsh weather conditions, marked by heavy snowfall in Quebec and Ontario, prompted Justin Trudeau to postpone the meeting.
Further details will follow.