Immigrants | The three major projects of the new government

The theme of immigration agitated the last Quebec election campaign. The time is now for action and the Coalition avenir Québec (CAQ) is expected at the turn. If Quebec has often been presented as a model or an exception in its management of immigration, sheltered from the restrictive tendencies and controversies that hit societies in Europe or the United States in particular, it is likewise overtaken by reality and certain demons. The new government will have to navigate turbulent waters on several fronts.

Catherine Xhardez
Assistant professor of political science at the University of Montreal and researcher at CÉRIUM

Manage temporary immigration

Beyond the permanent immigration targets, the explosion in the number of temporary immigrants in Quebec (international students, temporary foreign workers and people from the international mobility program) is a ground swell against which the CAQ will have to position. According to a report by the Institut du Québec^⁠1while net non-permanent immigrants made up an average of 9% of net international immigrants in Quebec between 2012 and 2016, this percentage climbed to 64% in 2019.

If, at first sight, this flow can be envisaged as a back-up solution, immigration researchers warn of the risks and consequences of this development. The status of temporary immigrants is precarious due, for example, to closed work permits linked to an employer, a complex system that leads to the chaining of temporary statuses and uncertainties about the possibilities of settling in Quebec on the longest term.

Closely examined, these immigration channels include gray areas, such as the precise statistical evaluation of the number of non-permanent residents in Quebec^⁠2 or the impact of this phenomenon on language, integration into society, wage differentials, etc. A two-step system is increasingly developing: obtaining permanent resident status after first being temporary. This profoundly changes the Quebec immigration system and complicates immigration trajectories. The government cannot ignore this reality.

Negotiate with Ottawa

The CAQ will also have to decide how far it wants to be at the helm. Although Quebec has extensive powers in the selection of immigrants and fully manages reception services under the Canada-Quebec agreement of 1991, the CAQ has repeatedly called for the reopening of this agreement in order to obtain more powers, particularly in the area of ​​family reunification.

However, there are other files related to immigration on which the government will have to negotiate with Ottawa. For example, with regard to temporary immigration, which is exploding, Quebec only partially has a say in these flows; it depends heavily on Ottawa.

Also, the processing times for immigrating to Quebec have lengthened considerably. Quebec and Ottawa pass the buck on this issue, which has a major impact on efficiency and confidence in the system.

Another sensitive issue, which has already been the subject of a showdown between Quebec and Ottawa: irregular arrivals at Roxham Road and the reception of asylum seekers. If the CAQ is serious about its immigration requests, it will have to enter into a balance of power with the federal government.

Give reasons to choose Quebec

If actions are worth more than words, some words nevertheless leave traces. Certain remarks on the links between immigration and insecurity or its “suicidal” aspect made during the campaign aroused disappointment and even anger among immigrants, regardless of their status or even the number of years spent in Quebec. Outside Quebec or even abroad, the position of the CAQ on this issue and certain paradoxes of its action^⁠3 are often misunderstood or misunderstood.

The social networks of the Ministère de l’Immigration, de la Francisation et de l’Intégration which are aimed at candidates abroad are called: “Choisir le Québec”. If Quebec selects its immigrants, they also choose to come or stay there for its opportunities, its social project, its language or the place it gives to those who decide to join it. However, in addition to the global competition that exists between companies, the other Canadian provinces are increasingly engaged in a race for talent and are implementing attractive and accelerated immigration programs. Quebec will therefore be faced with issues of attraction or retention.

At the dawn of a second term, the CAQ will have to unite on this theme and (re)gain the confidence of citizens and immigration candidates.