The opposition parties denounce the connection that the Premier, François Legault, has made between immigration and a possible “Louisianization” of Quebec.
Liberal leader Dominique Anglade on Tuesday accused Mr. Legault of making divisive remarks.
“He went to invent another crisis, she said in a press briefing. […] What I saw was the sovereignist minister, who absolutely wants to fight a battle with Ottawa, that’s what I saw. »
Liberal MP Saul Polo, whose family immigrated to Quebec, argued that Mr. Legault engaged in a “shameless exaggeration”, brandishing the specter of Louisiana to demand new powers in immigration.
“It is not up to François Legault or the government to say which language should be spoken at home and to use that as a scarecrow to say that French is declining in Montreal,” he said.
Quebec Solidarity MNA Manon Massé also accused Mr. Legault of having created a crisis.
“There is no immigration crisis,” she said. There is a housing crisis. There is a climate crisis, definitely. A crisis in mental health, a crisis in the cost of living, but that, we don’t hear much about from the side of the CAQ. »
His colleague Ruba Ghazal pointed out that his family immigrated to Quebec 30 years ago.
“We are not a threat to the survival of Quebec,” she said. And it is important, for me, today, to take the floor so that young immigrants, immigrants, their children hear a discourse other than that which is uttered everywhere by the Prime Minister and which divides Quebecers. »
Risk of recoil
At the end of the week, Mr. Legault affirmed that the federal government must grant its government new powers in matters of immigration to prevent Quebec from “becoming a Louisiana”.
Tuesday, at the National Assembly, the Minister of International Relations, Nadine Girault, assured that Quebec will remain a land of welcome for immigrants. She tempered the premier’s comments and his use of Louisiana’s image.
“He used it, okay, but don’t take him at his word either,” she said. We have to pay attention to our French language, it’s a language we want to protect. […] Quebec has always been a land of welcome for immigrants, we will continue to do so. »
PQ leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon agreed with Mr. Legault regarding the risks to which French is exposed in Quebec.
“We are still at risk of seeing French decline irreversibly, especially in certain portions of our territory,” he said, adding that Quebec is not at the Louisiana stage.
According to the PQ leader, the strong mandate requested by Mr. Legault to put pressure on Ottawa is already doomed to failure.
“François Legault is wrong because what he is saying is that in the next election he would get more deputies, so that he would get powers in immigration,” said Mr. St-Pierre Plamondon. It doesn’t hold up. »
Game plan
In the House, PQ parliamentary leader Joël Arseneau pointed out that from Ottawa, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had already rejected Mr. Legault’s request on Tuesday.
“Justin Trudeau replied: Forget it. Now that his election campaign plan is screwed up, what is the Prime Minister’s game plan for upholding Quebec’s interests and seeking powers? he asked.
Mr. Legault admitted that there is “still work to do” to “explain to everyone” that Quebec must recover all powers in immigration, including family reunification, to promote the integration of new newcomers to the French-speaking majority.
“I know that the Parti Québécois wants to hold a referendum on the sovereignty of Quebec in the next mandate, he said. That’s his way of settling the immigration issue. It’s his choice. »