The National Assembly calls with one voice on the federal government to speed up the procedures for welcoming Ukrainians fleeing the Russian invasion to Quebec.
A motion to this effect was adopted by parliamentarians from all parties on Tuesday afternoon.
Reports have reported on the complex procedures and hassles faced by Ukrainians seeking refuge in Canada.
The motion tabled by the Prime Minister, François Legault, asks Ottawa to facilitate their task and to speed up the pace.
“We have to do our part, pleaded Mr. Legault in the House. Quebec is ready to do its part with the federal government to welcome Ukrainian families to Quebec.”
The leader of the official opposition, Dominique Anglade, for her part recalled that Quebec has a “long humanitarian tradition” and has thus welcomed waves of Vietnamese, Afghan and Syrian refugees.
“We have a role to play as Quebecers, as Canadians,” she said. We too have a role to play at the International Organization of La Francophonie, which has still not spoken. We too have a role to play in the humanitarian reception of people who come here.”
Quebec must “continue to put pressure on Ottawa to welcome these people quickly,” she concluded.
“We ask for it in an insistent way, not a small request like on the corner of the table: it has to move, then that it moves faster”, for her part supported Manon Massé, of Quebec solidaire.
“In Quebec, I hear, we are ready to welcome, and we too, we have to lighten up so that it happens faster, that it goes better.”
The PQ parliamentary leader, Joël Arseneau, affirmed that this solidarity with the Ukrainians is the only position “which is morally, even humanly admissible and decent”.
He added that “the reception of refugees, the reunification of families must be facilitated, must be further accelerated now”.
According to what has been reported, more than 2.5 million Ukrainians have fled their country since the start of the Russian aggression three weeks ago.