Posted at 2:00 p.m.
Young families first
I fully agree with you! Let’s favor young families, the parents still have several active years ahead of them, the children will go to school in French and will ensure the workforce of tomorrow… it’s really not rocket science! And demand that our candidates be processed by the federal government at the same rate as those from other provinces. The current situation is totally unacceptable.
Denise Lalande
Questions that remain open
Thank you for shedding light on this incomprehensible positioning of the CAQ. But the end of your analysis leaves me on my appetite. This is not the first time that the delays in processing immigration applications by the federal government have been singled out by the media. It seems to me that this problem deserves a much deeper investigation by you or members of your team. Why such a discrepancy in the processing time of these applications depending on the province of residence? I no longer believe in the explanations provided by our two governments. I don’t like “baseball” very much, so I’m tired of seeing them pass the buck on this issue (and many others). More objective lighting would be appreciated.
Pierre Doyon
Xenophobia is never far away
You are right, M.me Grammond, by cutting corners on immigration, François Legault saw his lifeline for employment, but he ensured the re-election of the CAQ for several terms to come, because you have to rub shoulders with the average, white, native Quebecer to see his sensitivity to xenophobia, which is never far away. You discuss it with acquaintances and your relatives and you are often surprised by their negative reactions to immigration. So let’s continue to suffer the negative effects of the labor shortage in all sectors… by supporting the CAQ, of course!
Pierre-Louis Rivest, Joliette
For a real debate
A real debate on immigration thresholds would also make it possible to better understand where the flaws lie in our reception and integration models, to observe how other societies, including minorities, develop their own models and what would be the winning conditions to promote optimal integration, from learning French to regionalization. I find the government’s current approach a bit simplistic. I see it, on the contrary, as an opportunity to open a positive work site that would mobilize society on the construction of an economic and social future more suited to our collective choices.
Marie-France Charbonneau
Let’s look for other solutions
The immigration rate in Canada is one of the highest in the world. This has not prevented the current labor shortage. It would be better to find other ways to meet labor needs. Let’s see how the Scandinavian countries, Switzerland, Japan and the other countries that have a much lower immigration rate than Canada are doing. More than 5% of the labor force is unemployed in Canada. It’s not nothing. They do not correspond to the positions to be filled, it seems. Why ?
Francois Beaule, Montreal
Think productivity, specialization…
As if immigration was the solution to everything. Canada and Quebec are among the states that receive the most immigrants in the world per person, and today The Press tells us that it is not enough. Immigration further contributes to housing shortage, teacher shortage, overflow in hospital care, etc. There are other ways to compensate, such as increasing productivity, specialization, encouraging certain disciplines in our educational system over others, etc. It is not by bringing in immigrants to fill the shift evening at McDonald’s that we’re going to solve anything.
Lawrence Tremblay
Yes to immigration selected
Wholeheartedly agree: no, all-out immigration, but selected according to labor needs in the different sectors of Quebec’s economic activity. We are already in the wall.
Richard Fontaine, Dudswell
surreal decisions
For my part, an essential worker since the beginning of the pandemic, I felt betrayed by this government which refused to adhere to the federal approach which consisted in granting permanent residence. I arrived in November 2019, my French test is valid until February 2023 and I will be leaving Quebec for another province because of these surreal decisions. It saddens me, but it was the straw that broke the camel’s back…
Fabrice Vallee
Administrative hassles
The immigration file is in bad shape. Red tape is delaying immigrants getting their status. At the federal level, more French-speaking staff will have to be hired to process files more quickly. It is not normal for French nurses to come up against administrative hassle. We need nurses, and they speak French. This matter needs to be resolved quickly. Quebec and Ottawa must act together.
Louise Girard