(Sherbrooke) “The open immigration bar, stop it,” asked the Minister of Education, Bernard Drainville, to the federal government on Wednesday.
In a press scrum at the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) caucus in Sherbrooke, he suggested that Quebec has reached its “breaking point” in the provision of services to newcomers in education.
Mr. Drainville indicated that there are currently 1,237 francization classes in Quebec, the equivalent of 51 primary schools.
“Mr. Trudeau, we have reached the limit, we are at the breaking point, so the open immigration bar, stop it, because we, in education, have a shortage of teachers and a lack of premises. »
He mentioned the example of the Montreal School Service Center, where a number of francization classes equivalent to three primary schools have been opened, but there are still 400 registrations pending, the equivalent of another school.
“We are working very hard on solutions, but Mr. Trudeau needs to help us a little. »
However, he refused to further specify his request, namely whether he was calling for a cap or an immediate reduction, whether it concerned applicants for refugee status, or other immigration categories.
The issue of immigration has emerged in the country since the start of 2024, particularly in connection with the housing crisis.
Last week, Quebec Premier François Legault sent a letter to Justin Trudeau urging him to curb the influx of asylum seekers or else Quebec will reach its “breaking point.”
Federal officials warned the Trudeau government two years ago that large increases in immigration could affect housing affordability and services, according to internal documents obtained by The Canadian Press.
Likewise, chief economists of major banks recently issued a warning to the federal government: population growth fueled by massive immigration is economically unsustainable.
Again this week, Québec solidaire (QS) and the Parti Québécois (PQ) clashed over the issue of immigration thresholds and the housing crisis, accusing each other of polarizing the debate.