Unlike the end of the fall parliamentary session, Prime Minister Legault finally granted the traditional end-of-session interview. This time, motivated by a relatively positive assessment, he met with the main media, in particular by granting an interview with our colleague Paul Larocque.
Obsession
What should we remember from the Prime Minister’s remarks? That his obsession is neither health nor education, but immigration. According to him, it is the cause of all our problems, all our challenges, all our failures.
As if before the wave of massive immigration, everything was fine. Obviously, this is not true. I know it, you know it and above all the Prime Minister knows it.
The arrival of a large number of asylum seekers is indeed a factor to take into account for the pressure exerted and continues on our public services. It’s undeniable. But that’s not the only factor. Between the labor shortage, which obviously cannot be attributed to immigrants, the indifference of the various Quebec governments in the face of a looming housing crisis and the persistent problems in our health system, the government has its share of responsibility, personally.
Even if we cut the number of temporary immigrants in half, as the Prime Minister calls for, the problems would remain the same. It is legitimate to ask whether we should not simply suspend the arrival of any new immigrants for the next 10 years, so that Mr. Legault stops hiding behind immigration to justify his government’s inaction and can find another reason, perhaps less polarizing.
A problem of form
The problem with Prime Minister Legault’s speech is not the substance, but the form. He has the gift, or is it a clear desire, to oppose Quebec’s interests to immigration rather than explaining the importance of controlling migratory flows because “too much is the same as not enough.”
The one who once promised to “take less to take care of them” ultimately welcomed many more, only to present them as threats to our social safety net.
Imagine if, to express the same problem, the Prime Minister told us that we no longer have the capacity to welcome more immigrants, that we are suspending immigration programs for at least 18 months, in order to take stock of the places and to ensure that every new Quebecer can contribute fully to our society and that, for this, we are committed to welcoming them with dignity. That would be a more responsible message, wouldn’t it?
Perhaps the Prime Minister is not looking to be responsible, but to be popular. And when criticizing immigration becomes a strategy to gain popularity, it’s a sign that something is wrong.
