The leader of the Coalition avenir Québec, François Legault, is ready to give up his demand for “full powers in immigration” if the federal government commits to selecting more people who master the French language.
Mr. Legault now gives Ottawa the choice “either to give us the powers [de sélection des immigrants économiques qui lui restent]that’s what we prefer, that is to be more demanding in terms of knowledge of French”.
Indeed, it could be satisfied with a commitment on the part of the federal government to retain a greater proportion of candidates for Quebec immigration who know French among those who are registered in its family reunification program or in its temporary foreign workers.
The CAQ proposes to welcome a maximum of 50,000 immigrants per year, including a maximum of 10,000 non-French-speaking immigrants, failing which Quebec would encounter integration difficulties. “80% [de francophones]it’s a good goal, “said Mr. Legault during a new stop of his campaign bus in Drummondville on Sunday.
National cohesion
Otherwise, “national cohesion” could fray, he said. “We have a duty to protect this national cohesion. Then, at the heart of this cohesion, of this nation, there is our language, French. Then, the Premier of Quebec, who is the only head of state in North America who represents a majority of Francophones, has a duty: to stop this decline of French in Quebec, ”supported the CAQ leader in front of dozens of sympathizers. gathered in Drummondville on Sunday afternoon.
Later, Mr. Legault suggested that the immigration targets advocated by Québec solidaire (between 60,000 and 80,000 immigrants per year) and the Quebec Liberal Party (70,000 immigrants per year) would undermine the “cohesion” of the Quebec nation if they were followed. “Of course, parties that want to reach 70,000 or 80,000 newcomers per year are like mathematics… If we want to stop the decline for a while, we have to better integrate newcomers into the French,” he said in a press scrum. “It is important to keep this national cohesion to defend French”, he also said, even speaking of “emergency”. “There are clans, there are camps, there are factions, not just in Quebec. We see that in the United States. We see that in France. And, we must always be careful to keep this cohesion of our nation. »
We have a duty to protect this national cohesion. Then, at the heart of this cohesion, of this nation, there is our language, French.
In its electoral platform, the CAQ says it wants to continue the “great linguistic revival” initiated by the adoption of the Act respecting the official and common language of Quebec, French (PL 96) last spring.
To achieve this, the political party of François Legault calls for “full powers in immigration”, to which the federal prime minister, Justin Trudeau, has opposed an end of inadmissibility.
It also intends to “undertake an in-depth review of all French teaching programs” for young people and English-speaking Quebecers, in addition to promoting the creation of “stimulating series, 100% in French, firmly rooted in Quebec reality, and this, in a safe environment, without publicity”.
At the helm of the Quebec state for nearly four years, François Legault says he “wants to continue to serve Quebec, to the best of [ses] capabilities”. “I am not perfect, we are starting to know it! I make mistakes. Sometimes I answer questions that I shouldn’t be answering,” he said, in a nod to comments he made last week on the risks posed by sustained immigration to Quebec values. of “secularism” and “pacifism”. “When I make mistakes, I correct them,” he continued.