Quebec Prime Minister François Legault said Wednesday that he plans to stay in office until 2026 and that he could formally support a federal political party during the next Canadian election, scheduled for 2025.
In difficulty in the polls, faced with the departure of one of his deputies, Mr. Legault assured that he will be in the running during the next Quebec election. “Will there be work left to do for a third term? Yes. And yes, I will be a candidate,” he attested.
Until then, he “does not rule out” the possibility of giving his support to a federal party, as he did in 2021. “There will be an analysis of all the powers, all the programs and we will decide , if there is one, who will best defend the interests of Quebecers,” he explained. Mr. Legault was speaking as part of the study of appropriations, an annual accountability exercise which takes place at the National Assembly.
Housing and immigration
His political opponents mainly questioned him about energy issues, the housing crisis and immigration. “What is the average cost of rent for a 4 ½ apartment in Montreal? », Asked, for example, the interim leader of the Liberal Party of Quebec, Marc Tanguay.
Anxious to see his liberal opponent “ score » as the supportive Manon Massé did in 2021, the Prime Minister turned to the Secretary General and Clerk of the Executive Council, Dominique Savoie. Quebec’s highest civil servant pointed to a number, which the Prime Minister refused to read aloud. “They give me a number, but I think it’s higher than that, so we’ll continue. I know you’re trying to make a Manon Massé of yourself, but it won’t work,” Mr. Legault said.
Discussions followed, with the Liberals as well as with the solidarity MP Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois, on the subject of immigration. “We currently have 560,000 temporary immigrants in Quebec,” repeated Mr. Legault, emphasizing that the program controlled by Quebec (the Temporary Foreign Worker Program) welcomes 65,000 immigrants. “The problem is not with the 65,000. It is with the 495,000 that remain, which is a bomb managed by Ottawa,” he said.
Among the 560,000 temporary immigrants are 178,000 asylum seekers. “Half in Canada,” underlined Mr. Legault. When Chief Tanguay asked him which temporary workers he wanted to see leave Quebec, Mr. Legault responded by saying that these asylum seekers are “not really workers”. In fact, 64% of asylum seekers in Quebec have a work permit, sometimes accompanied by a study permit. Children are among the 36% who do not have a work permit. In total, of the 528,000 non-permanent residents present in Quebec, 43% are workers. This percentage rises to 51% if we take into account immigrants who have a study permit and a work permit.