Start of the week, four government ministers came out to ask the federal government to better control the arrival of asylum seekerswhich are currently very numerous in Quebec.
Quebec is seeking the sum of one billion dollars in compensation. However, don’t hold your breath, the check isn’t in the mail. We do not feel that Justin Trudeau’s Liberals will respond positively to the CAQ’s demands.
This failure places François Legault in a very precarious position, he who promised a new style of nationalism. The events of the last week thus give ammunition to Paul St-Pierre Plamondon.
More power
Before the 2022 campaign, the Prime Minister of Quebec wanted to seek more power in immigration. An idea that Mr. Legault has not taken up in recent months.
Necessarily, the leader of the CAQ knows that he will not be able to obtain more power in immigration as long as Justin Trudeau is in office. Thus, it would be totally counterproductive for Mr. Legault to continue on this line.
François Legault’s problem is that he is stuck between PSPP, which leads in the polls, and the PLQ, which is trying to use the popularity of the Parti Québécois to have a second life.
Allies
In this context, Mr. Legault must be able to make progress, however minimal, before the next election in 2026. To have a chance, he will have to find allies in the other provinces.
However, the Premier of Quebec has not forged strong ties with his colleagues. The health transfer issue is a good example. All the other prime ministers have discreetly held discussions with the federal government, but not Quebec.
To be sure to return triumphant from Ottawa, François Legault will have to make sure he is not alone in the fight.