Quebec will not obtain full immigration powers. Justin Trudeau refused on Friday the request from François Legault, who wishes to slow down and reduce the influx of asylum seekers.
“No, we are not going to give more powers in immigration,” declared Friday morning the Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, in a press scrum. He maintains that Quebec already has more power in immigration than the other provinces. “We are here to collaborate and work together. »
The latter, however, declared that he had an “extremely constructive” meeting on Friday morning with his counterpart, particularly on the subjects of immigration, health and economic growth.
The people of Quebec have always been welcoming, but currently we have exceeded our reception capacity. This is why I reiterated Quebec’s request to repatriate full powers over immigration. This is important to protect the language and identity of the Quebec nation. Unfortunately, Mr. Trudeau reiterated his refusal.
François Legault, Premier of Quebec at a press conference
In the event of refusal, “we will evaluate our options, and there are options that present themselves,” Legault declared the day before. On Friday, however, he did not want to comment on his options. “When we’re ready, we’ll tell you. »
The Quebec government is demanding $1 billion to cover the bill for services provided to asylum seekers. So far, Ottawa has granted $100 million to Quebec and has reimposed visa requirements for a large portion of Mexicans who wish to come to Canada.
Justin Trudeau recognized “that Quebec has been doing more than its share in terms of asylum seekers for a long time,” which is putting pressure on the province’s budget and the health and education systems. “That’s why we’re here to work with Quebec to ensure that we recognize what they are doing, take some pressure off and also get compensation. »
“Our reception capacity is exceeded”
“Our reception capacity is exceeded. We lack teachers, we lack nurses, we lack housing and that poses a real problem for the future of French in Quebec. The vast majority of these people, their admission is the responsibility of the federal government. So I asked Mr. Trudeau to take action immediately or quickly.”
Justin Trudeau would have shown an openness to temporary workers who report to Ottawa being approved first in Quebec, maintains Legault. It would also have shown an openness to tightening visas for foreigners who come to Quebec and Canada, as is the case for Mexicans.
Trudeau would also have shown an openness to speeding up the processing of asylum seeker files. “We are talking about 18 months. I asked to see if it is possible to reduce that to 6 months,” declared Mr. Legault. Finally, Trudeau would have shown an openness to knowledge of French becoming a requirement for temporary workers chosen by Ottawa and to certain temporary workers being refused upon renewal of their permit.
Trudeau and Legault should take stock by June 30 on the progress and the various openings, declared the Prime Minister of Quebec. “In the meantime, the Quebec government is examining all its options to quickly reduce the number of asylum seekers and temporary workers in Quebec. »
“Very confident” of reaching an agreement
Friday morning, Justin Trudeau said he was “very confident” of reaching an agreement with Quebec before the end of the month regarding federal health transfers. “We will be there to ensure that Quebecers have the best service,” he declared.
Regarding the national drug insurance plan and the federal dental insurance plan, the Prime Minister said he was “in the process of discussing with Quebec on how or if we can align our programs and ensure that there has a sharing of skills.
For François Legault, there is no question that Quebec will leave the field open to Ottawa to create a drug insurance plan in the province.
The only option available to the Liberal government if it is determined to create such a program in the rest of the country is to offer full financial compensation without conditions to Quebec, Minister Dubé said in an interview with The Press at the end of February.
With Tommy Chouinard and Joël-Denis Bellavance, The Press