(Quebec) Fearing “risks of reactions and overreactions,” Prime Minister François Legault does not want Quebec to find itself in the same situation as the United States and France with regard to immigration.
“I think that Quebecers have always been welcoming, but we cannot accommodate 300,000 more people in two years. This is exaggerated and leads to risks of reactions or overreactions to the impacts on services, on French and on housing,” said the Prime Minister at a press briefing in Gaspésie on Friday.
“Hence the importance, in order not to end up like the United States or France, of being balanced in the number of immigrants we welcome each year,” added François Legault.
While the French far right is leading in the polls and Donald Trump could make a return to the White House, François Legault was asked whether he feared a rise of the right in Quebec and Canada.
“Obviously we follow what is happening, not only in France, but in Europe. Mass immigration brings specific challenges,” he said, repeating his request to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to reduce the number of temporary immigrants.
Asked about the upcoming July 1, the Prime Minister brought the subject back to immigration. “For two years, across Quebec, mainly because of the federal government, because the majority are accepted by the federal government, there has been an increase of 300,000 temporary immigrants. That means an additional need for more than 100,000 housing units. It is physically and mathematically impossible to build that many housing units in such a short time,” he said.
Mr. Legault indicated that his government had temporary agreements with hotels so that “no one is on the street.”
Prime Minister Legault has repeatedly said that “100% of housing problems” are linked to the increase in the number of temporary immigrants.
