Québec solidaire (QS) proposes to establish a regularization program for people without status who have been in the country for at least five years, but who currently reside in Québec, learned The duty.
“The goal is to get these people out of the margins and integrate them into the formal economy of Quebec to fight against the labor shortage,” said QS co-spokesperson Gabriel Nadeau- Dubois, during a telephone interview, Tuesday.
Families with at least one child and residing in Quebec would not, however, be subject to the criterion of arrival in the country for at least five years. They would be eligible for the program as soon as it comes into effect, said Guillaume Cliche-Rivard, immigration lawyer and solidary candidate for the by-election in Saint-Henri-Sainte-Anne.
According to Québec solidaire, the people targeted by the program would notably be former foreign students or former temporary workers whose permit or visa has expired.
These people are vulnerable and often need help, underlined Mr. Cliche-Rivard. “We have given ourselves laws and social protections, particularly in terms of housing and labor law,” he continued. Unfortunately, people who do not have papers do not have access to these mechanisms or remedies to defend their minimum rights. »
“No reason to wait after Justin Trudeau”
Ottawa is currently working on a program to regularize the status of undocumented workers who contribute to Canadian communities.
However, Quebec is best placed to know its immigration needs, argued Mr. Nadeau-Dubois. “There is no reason to wait after [le premier ministre canadien] Justin Trudeau to set up a Quebec program to regularize people without status, ”he argued.
The Quebec government would therefore establish the criteria for this program, which would be done jointly with Ottawa, just as the regularization of the “guardian angels” of the health sector during the COVID-19 pandemic was done, said Mr. Cliche- Rivard. “Unfortunately, the program was hyper restrictive. Finally, there are very few people who had been targeted, ”he said sorry.
With its proposal, QS would like to regularize a maximum of 10,000 people in the first year. This figure could be readjusted as needed in subsequent years. “The proposal would be made within the immigration thresholds of the Government of Quebec”, however indicated Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois.
During the election campaign last year, his party had proposed to welcome between 60,000 and 80,000 immigrants annually on Quebec soil.
The plan tabled last December by the Minister of Immigration, Francisation and Integration, Christine Fréchette, maintains the target of approximately 50,000 new permanent residents in 2023.
Contacted by The duty Regarding the solidarity proposal, Ms. Fréchette’s office indicated that the regularization of people without status is the responsibility of the federal government. “Quebec has expressed its interest in examining with Ottawa the possibility of regularizing the situation of these people. »
For his part, PQ MP Pascal Bérubé said he did not want to criticize the proposals of the other opposition parties. “I leave it to the people who will analyze this proposal to do so according to its realism by virtue of the powers that Quebec has and our reception capacity,” he limited himself to saying.
In the Liberal Party of Quebec, MP Monsef Derraji felt that it was commendable to want to regularize these people living in precariousness. Such a program must not, however, become an incentive for non-compliance with immigration rules, he warned. “Beware of the message we risk sending so as not to undermine the integrity of our immigration system. »
A “full contribution” to Quebec society
According to Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois, there is no valid reason to deprive people of non-status of a full contribution to Quebec society. “We need reinforcements everywhere and these people are already on Quebec territory,” he said.
Regularizing these undocumented people would not aggravate the housing crisis hitting the Quebec territory, added Guillaume Cliche-Rivard. “People are already housed, they are already here. »
The lack of housing is also one of the main issues in the by-election in Saint-Henri-Sainte-Anne, Mr. Cliche-Rivard argued in January.
The latter will try to be elected on March 13 in this Montreal riding. In the last Quebec elections, he finished second behind former Liberal leader Dominique Anglade. She left her seat as an MP on December 1st.
This time, social entrepreneur Christopher Baenninger will wear liberal colors. The PQ candidate Andréanne Fiola, the caquiste Victor Pelletier and the conservative Lucien Koty will also be in the race.
With Lisa-Marie Gervais