After saying that it would be “a little suicidal” to do so, the government of François Legault could consider raising the immigration thresholds above 50,000 per year or else “indexing” them.
Prime Minister Legault half-opened the door in a scrum this morning to a review of the annual reception limits for newcomers. “Currently, there is a decrease each year in the number of Quebecers who speak French. So, we have to find a way, in the 50,000, to have more of them who speak French”, he first said.
“Once we have achieved that objective, well then, we can talk to each other: is it possible to welcome more French-speaking immigrants?”
Mr. Legault is delighted that last year, 80% of immigrants welcomed by Quebec spoke French. “On the other hand, it was in a special situation, with the pandemic. We also used a lot [Programme de l’expérience québécoise], with the students. Can we repeat that? That’s what [la nouvelle ministre de l’Immigration] Christine Fréchette is currently watching,” said the Prime Minister.
Is Quebec creating a new category of immigrants? Minister Fréchette did not want to answer Wednesday, at the exit of the council of ministers. “We are keeping our sights set on 50,000,” she answered simply.
In the eyes of the Minister of Finance, Eric Girard, it is also possible to think that Quebec could “index” its immigration rates annually. “It’s a possibility. If it was pegged at 2%, it would be 50,000, 51,000, 52,000, like that. But, really, I encourage you to ask questions of the new Minister of Immigration,” he said.
“Suicidal” or not?
However, during the election campaign, François Legault’s Coalition avenir Québec was determined to freeze its immigration rates at 50,000 per year, which had earned it criticism from all sides: the Liberal Party and Québec solidaire proposed to raise them. substantially, the Parti Québécois, to lower them to 35,000.
In a speech before the Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal, Mr. Legault went so far as to say that “until we have stopped the decline of French, I think that for the Quebec nation, which wants to protect the language , it would be a little suicidal to increase [les seuils]”.
The former Minister of Immigration Jean Boulet had also had to postpone the last mandate after telling journalists that raising the threshold of immigrants from 50,000 to 58,000 in five years was something “interesting” , “which must be considered”.