(Ottawa) The Quebec government already has all the powers it needs in terms of immigration, argued Tuesday Pablo Rodriguez, Quebec lieutenant of Justin Trudeau.
Posted at 3:02 p.m.
Updated at 5:45 p.m.
Although he said he understood that the defense of the French language represented “something very important” for Premier François Legault and that the latter was “very sincere in what he does”, the Montreal minister did not sent the signal that Ottawa was inclined to cede immigration powers to Quebec.
He did not want to comment on how the federal government would welcome the idea of a potential sectoral referendum on immigration, a scenario that the CAQ leader mentioned in the home stretch of an election campaign marked by blunders on migration issues.
“I have never been approached with this proposal,” contented himself with asserting Pablo Rodriguez in the press scrum when asked if the approach was doomed to failure. And twice, he pleaded that Quebec had “all the tools currently in hand to choose the vast majority of its immigrants”.
Declining the invitation to comment on the odds of the CAQ campaign, the Minister responsible for the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec, Pascale St-Onge, all the same subtly alluded to by listing the construction sites who were waiting for him.
“We will continue to work with the government of Mr. Legault on all the issues that are important to Quebecers, including those relating to the scarcity of the workforce, and, inevitably, immigration,” said she spoke on the microphone in the foyer of the House of Commons.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has already closed the door on the idea of transferring more powers to Quebec. His parliamentary ally, Jagmeet Singh, is on the same side, even if he is of the opinion that we must listen to the needs of the provinces which want to welcome more immigrants… which is not the case with the Quebec.
Admitted fault forgiven
Minister Rodriguez, who had been deeply shocked by François Legault’s remarks on immigration, said he believed in the sincerity of the unifying victory speech of the re-elected Quebec premier. The sponge is over, he assured.
“I was personally hurt, I said it very openly. I think there were unfortunate comments made on immigration during the campaign, but I am very happy with the tone, with Mr. Legault’s speech, [lundi] “, maintained the Argentinian of origin.
The important thing is that we collectively say that a Quebecer is a Quebecer, period.
Pablo Rodriguez, Minister of Heritage and Quebec Lieutenant of Justin Trudeau
New Democrat Leader Jagmeet Singh was also shaken. “There were comments shared by the CAQ which were dangerous, which attacked[ai]ent immigrants, which were false. Mr. Legault was right to apologize, ”he lamented at a press conference on Tuesday.
A “clear” distortion
Invited to give his opinion on the distortion of the electoral results on the sidelines of an announcement on Tuesday morning, the Canadian Prime Minister did not want to dwell on the question. He who had promised a reform of the federal voting system, before reneging on his commitment, preferred to praise the robustness of democracy.
“When we look around the world, we can be reassured that in Canada, we have a strong democracy, and we have elections that take place with fierce debates, but in peace and civility, which we is not necessarily seeing across the world,” he said.
PHOTO ADRIAN WYLD, THE CANADIAN PRESS
Jagmeet Singh, leader of the New Democratic Party
For his part, Jagmeet Singh did not hesitate to describe the overwhelming majority obtained by the Coalition avenir Québec as a “clear distortion” testifying to the urgency of carrying out electoral reform, one of the main priorities of his political party. .
Congratulations from the opposition
Official Opposition Leader Pierre Poilievre took to Twitter to send his congratulations to Francois Legault. “I look forward to continuing our work together for the people of Quebec and Canada,” wrote the leader on Tuesday, who has met the press only once since his victory on September 10.
The “unequivocal” triumph of the Quebec premier was also hailed on Tuesday by Bloc leader Yves-François Blanchet. “Our caucus will remain the voice in the House of Commons of the consensus of the National Assembly and of a strong vision of the Quebec nation,” he assured.