Quebec Government Rejects Trudeau’s Immigration Plan, Fears Decline of French

Quebec Premier François Legault responds during question period at the legislature in Quebec City on Feb. 16, 2023. The Canadian Press/Jacques Boissinot

Canada’s plan to increase immigration is stoking fears among Quebec’s political class, who say the changes would reduce the province’s influence in the country and make it harder to protect French.

Provincial legislature members today adopted a motion declaring Canada’s plan incompatible with the protection of French in Quebec and that the province must have complete control over its immigration.

Premier François Legault said Tuesday that Quebec would not accept a big rise in immigration because of the need to properly integrate, house and educate newcomers.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, meanwhile, has maintained that his government’s plan to take in 500,000 permanent immigrants a year by 2025—up from 437,000 in 2022—is necessary to ease labour shortages and create growth.

But while Legault is tangling with Ottawa over immigration powers, the premier is facing criticism at home over soaring numbers of temporary immigrants who aren’t included in provincial targets.

Quebec’s official immigration number is set at around 50,000 people a year, but the opposition parties have noted the real number is much higher due to rising numbers of people who enter the province as temporary foreign workers, skilled workers or students.