(Roberval) François Legault assure qu’il n’a pas peur des immigrants, alors qu’il a été forcé de s’excuser, mercredi, après avoir fait un lien entre le nombre de nouveaux arrivants qui s’intègrent au Québec et la nécessité de protéger le mode de vie des Québécois.
Publié à 10h46
La question de l’immigration a monopolisé le point de presse du chef de la Coalition avenir Québec (CAQ), jeudi, à Roberval. « Tous les états dans le monde ont un défi d’intégration aux valeurs du pays ou de l’État qui reçoit [les immigrants]. Now, we must not name which values, because that could create an amalgam. So, effectively, I shouldn’t have named any values,” Mr. Legault said.
On Wednesday, the CAQ leader said that “Quebecers are peaceful” and that we must “make sure we keep it as it is”, despite the increase in immigration thresholds planned by Ottawa. After apologizing for the first time on Twitter, Mr. Legault reiterated Thursday that immigration “is a wealth”. He cited his friends and candidates from his party who have an immigrant background as an example that demonstrates that he is not afraid of newcomers.
A recurring theme at the CAQ
The issue of immigration – and, in a broader spectrum, of Quebec identity – is recurrent at the CAQ. In 2018, the party got elected by promising to add a test of Quebec values to the selection process for newcomers. Since 2020, immigrants selected by Quebec must indeed obtain “a certificate of learning of democratic values and Quebec values expressed by the Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms in support of [leur] application for permanent selection”. Mr. Legault does not intend to add new measures, he said Thursday.
In terms of secularism, the CAQ had Bill 21 adopted during its first term, which prohibits the wearing of religious symbols by certain state employees, including teachers. “In Quebec, that’s how we live,” justified the outgoing Prime Minister.
For the present election, the CAQ demands to obtain from Ottawa all the powers in immigration. François Legault recently justified this request made to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as being a “question of survival” for the Quebec nation.
Mr. Legault said Thursday that he did not try to appeal to voters who fear immigration, in order to have their vote, when he made an amalgam between the integration of immigrants and issues of security and violence.