François Legault had not immediately finished the sentences of his nationalist rhetoric to “claim” the powers in immigration that Justin Trudeau sent him cavalierly on the roses. Cavalier, not just because it’s in his bad manners, but because it’s the logic of the regime. Domination is exercised, its executors pay no attention to the courtesies expected by the beggars who do not understand anything — or pretend not to know — what submission condemns them to.
Canada has given itself the project of putting an end to its complaining minority, and it aims to recruit as soon as possible about half a million immigrants per year. The Century Initiative should enable it to reach 100 million inhabitants. Canada is getting drunk on its post-national myth. The elites of multiculturalism have long waged on liquidating the historical foundations of their society. It’s their business. But they are so convinced of it and are now so certain that our national defeat has been consummated that they no longer have any restraint.
No need for a doctorate in mathematics to understand that his policy will result in the dissolution of the Quebec nation once and for all. It is impossible for Quebec to subscribe to such an objective without consenting to its own disappearance. Yet that is what is happening.
Quebec has totally lost control of its immigration: Ottawa is blithely circumventing the spirit and the letter of its agreement on immigration by playing all the tricks to open the floodgates of temporary immigration, by sabotaging Quebec initiatives to recruit French-speaking foreign students, by letting permanent residence application files rot, by leaving the sieve on Roxham Road wide open, and so on. The CAQ suffers rebuff after rebuff. The suave Minister Boulet has nothing else to say than his happy-go-lucky couplets. We will understand. He hums on the bridge of the Titanic.
It is impossible that François Legault does not know what is happening. But as a good provincial politician, as a champion of blissful resignation, he cashes in. Nothing he asked of Ottawa was granted. Nothing he asks for will be granted, but he doesn’t care. All he has to do is promise. He just has to pretend that common sense and good will will take the place of a balance of power. More cynically, he just has to exploit collective denial. The CAQ is the government of the resting place on the dying way.
Faced with the gloomy prospects inspired by some of the challenges of the demographic shock of aging, the immigration practiced by Ottawa is even called for by those worried about the scarcity of labour, by those anxious about the possible collapse of settlement patterns of entire regions. Soft thinking joins what is most powerful in collective denial: the idea that things can work themselves out.
Immigration is only part of the answer to our demographic challenges. But the objectives and practices canadian are in every respect contrary to the policy that Quebec needs. To maintain the French character, of course, but also to preserve our ability to form a nation and inhabit our territory, we need a population policy. The demographic challenges facing us cannot be reduced to the recruitment of immigrants. Actions are needed to maintain the critical masses necessary for the viability of communities, for the financing of public services, to support regional economic development, to encourage the birth rate, to better support parents, to properly care for the elderly.
These are just some of the elements on which we should act coherently and with substantial resources. This incomplete enumeration is, however, enough to show that it goes beyond the powers and means of a province. We need a State, and it is not Canada that will be able to deal with the major trends that are weighing on our development. He doesn’t care. He makes his choices, imposes them on us and leaves it to the provincial notables and the apostles of resignation to produce the jeremiads. François Legault chose to become a choirmaster.
The rebuffs he takes are humiliating, but they still don’t produce enough noise to drown out the serenades of pointless pride he holds with a pride that will make him make more and more fuss. Because there will be so many more. For no one in the world does the minoritization and folklorization that accompanies it come without pain. He can always try to make people dream of equaling the salaries of Ontario, he will only receive the dividends of the powerlessness granted. He denied independence, but it will come back to haunt him. Quebec will refuse to die and will end up getting rid of small thinks.
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