Welcome and integration of immigrants | The great seduction of Mékinac

(Saint-Tite) The MRC of Mékinac, in Mauricie, has launched a vast seduction operation to attract – and retain – immigrants in its region. Without any reception service for newcomers two years ago, it is now the winner of the very first Ulrick-Chérubin prize, which recognizes excellence in this area.

Lila Dussault
The Press

“When I compare the welcome I received here with that of my friends who work elsewhere in Quebec, I realize that they were not so lucky,” notes Karim Othmani, machinist at Machineries Pronovost, in Saint- Titus. In the midst of a pandemic, the 33-year-old man left his region of southern Tunisia to try his luck in Mauricie.

With the aging of the population and the shortage of manpower, the MRC of Mékinac needs new blood. At the beginning of 2020, it embarked on a vast project: bringing together the whole community around the reception of newcomers. “From the start, we saw that it animated a passion. People said, “Yes, we are welcoming! Yes, we want a new world!”, whereas often it’s a big issue [de mobiliser les gens] says Mia Delisle, reception and integration officer for newcomers at the MRC.

Two years later, the MRC has something to celebrate: since 2020, it has welcomed 53 new people from 13 countries and received 105 applications from potential newcomers. By comparison, in 2016, only 115 immigrants lived in the region, according to Canadian census data.

A success that also allows the region to definitively turn the page on the Hérouxville affair, 15 years later. Remember that in 2007, this town in the MRC had adopted a code of life affirming that on its territory, women could not be burned alive, stoned or circumcised. The case had been widely publicized.

“It marked the imagination, because more than 10 years later, we still hear about it, deplores Mia Delisle. But it has never been a general mentality in our environment, it has never been part of our values. »

The neo-Mékinacois has made friends, goes to the gym and now carpools to work. “I love nature,” he sums up, with a smirk.

Regionalize immigration

In the pre-election campaign, the CAQ government announced that its objective is now to regionalize immigration. In 2020-2021, 23% of immigrants admitted to Quebec were destined, when they arrived, outside the administrative regions of Laval, Montérégie and Montreal, according to the most recent management report from the Department of Immigration.

Thursday, the MRC of Mékinac became the first winner of the Ulrick-Chérubin prize (named in honor of a former mayor of Amos of Haitian origin), launched last December to reward best practices in integration immigrants by the Quebec government and the Quebec Federation of Municipalities (FQM).

“The MRC de Mékinac was the jury’s favourite,” said Jacques Demers, president of the FQM. “It has particularly distinguished itself by the complementarity of the initiatives implemented in its territory and its approach to mobilizing local actors. »

“If we can help them, we will help them! »

However, immigrating to the region is not without difficulty. “The paperwork is the same if you want to immigrate to Montreal as here, but there, there are more services and resources,” laments Mia Delisle.

When two Tunisians (including Karim) arrived, hired by Machineries Pronovost, the challenge was daunting. “For example, halal meat, we don’t have it in the region,” explains Eva-Marie Cloutier, human resources coordinator. “How do our new workers do their grocery shopping, in the middle of quarantine, without a vehicle? »

The answer ? A call to all, which exceeded all his expectations. Thanks to citizen mobilization, two apartments have been furnished from A to Z, utensils, panini machines and televisions included, explains M^me Cloutier. A local caterer also provided food.

In the process, a squad of volunteers was set up. The goal: to offer a network of contacts to newcomers, to support them according to their needs. “Even if it’s just for a little trip to the grocery store, or to show things from our community, this project is energizing,” says Maggy O’Grady, one of the 12 members of the squad.

Twenty kilometers from Saint-Tite, the mayor of Saint-Adelphe, Paul Labranche, personally welcomed a new Italian family who settled in the village. “All I know is that they chose us,” boasts Mr. Labranche. I said, “If we can help them, we’ll help them.” »

Interpreter, invitation to municipal activities, Christmas and Halloween gifts, support for the immigration process: the family was so well supported that they chose to settle long term and bring the grandmother.

“If we want to keep them, that they fit in, we have to give them a boost,” says Mr. Labranche. I say: to welcome a new inhabitant, it takes a whole community. »