Justin Trudeau’s response at least has the merit of being clear. Quebec will not obtain the full powers over immigration that Prime Minister Legault demanded. He will have to make do with what he already has.
Mr. Legault caused a surprise Thursday by declaring, in response to a question from the leader of the Parti Québécois (PQ), Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, that he would take advantage of his meeting with his Canadian counterpart to formally present to him her
request.
What else could he say? If it is “a question of survival for the Quebec nation,” as he has often repeated, Mr. Legault had no other choice but to raise it, even if he knew very well what would be the answer.
Despite all the “openings” that he says he perceived in his exchanges with Mr. Trudeau, he nonetheless hit a wall. He did not want to talk about these “options” that he said he would consider in the event of a refusal, but he cannot stop there without losing all credibility.
However, he will want to avoid being dragged into an escalation that would lead to a major clash with Ottawa. Whether he decides to hold a sectoral referendum on immigration or has the National Assembly adopt a motion officially calling for the opening of negotiations, Mr. Trudeau will remain inflexible.
In reality, from the beginning, the CAQ’s entire autonomist project has been based on a bluff that can only work to the extent that it is not pushed too far. This time he reached his limits.
Mr. Trudeau is absolutely right to say that no sovereign state would agree to cede its control over immigration to one of its components, but it is also clear that he does not share Mr. Legault’s concern. for the future of French Quebec or that it doesn’t matter to him.
In an interview with Radio-Canada, Mr. Trudeau seemed to think that the debate around immigration had taken on such a dramatic aspect for strictly political reasons, due to the rise of the PQ. As if this forced Mr. Legault to engage in a totally artificial one-upmanship. It is true that without the intervention of PSPP, his requests would undoubtedly have been more moderate, even if he is undoubtedly sincerely concerned.
If the resurrection of the PQ constitutes a real danger for the Coalition Avenir Québec, it is not necessarily bad news for the Liberal Party of Canada. It would even be the opposite. For decades, the separatist threat has been an inexhaustible business for liberals
federal.
Deep down, Justin Trudeau must even regret that the next federal election precedes the Quebec election. In English Canada, a return to power of the PQ and the possibility of a third referendum, which we do not believe in, would cause a real shock. Would Pierre Poilievre be the man who could best convince Quebecers to choose Canada once again?
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We cannot say that Mr. Trudeau made a big effort to minimize the impact of the slap he gave Mr. Legault, as he could have done by dropping ballast elsewhere. At the end of the meeting, no significant breakthrough was reported in the other files between Quebec and Ottawa.
The two men agreed that their respective teams would examine the compensation that Quebec requires for welcoming asylum seekers. It’s the least Ottawa can do. Regarding the distribution of applicants between the provinces, Mr. Trudeau readily recognizes that Quebec is doing more than its share, but how will he force the hand of Doug Ford, who no longer wants it?
his home ?
Mr. Trudeau said he was convinced that Quebec would sign the agreement on the Canada Health Transfer by the end of the month, even if it only provided him with a sixth of the sums he was asking for. Does he really have a choice, when he is threatened with losing 900 million dollars if he persists in his
refusal?
As for the Canadian Dental Care Plan or future drug insurance, Mr. Legault clearly did not succeed in convincing him to allow Quebec to withdraw from it with full financial compensation.
We cannot say that trust reigns. The Prime Minister fears that reopening the agreement on permanent immigration signed in 1991 would cause Quebec to lose gains. Unless they are duly enshrined in another agreement, it would be just as risky to rely on the “overtures” on temporary immigration shown by Mr. Trudeau. However, it is a safe bet that Mr. Legault will be satisfied with it.