Tensions on immigration | “Mr. Trudeau escaped,” says Roberge

(Saint-Hyacinthe) In a context of “tense relations”, Quebec is protesting against a “slip” by Justin Trudeau, who affirmed in front of French President Emmanuel Macron that François Legault was spreading falsehoods about immigration.

“I think Mr. Trudeau missed it. It’s not smart to quibble over the visit,” he lamented in a press scrum on Saturday, on the sidelines of a conference of the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ).

Unlike Justin Trudeau, Mr. Legault “showed the stature of a statesman. He did not make any reproaches in the presence of Mr. Macron. We cannot say that about Mr. Trudeau,” he said. According to him, this is a “slippage”.

On Thursday, Mr. Trudeau said, during a joint press briefing with Mr. Macron, that “it is distressing to see the Prime Minister of Quebec sharing statements on immigration that are downright false.”

“We are working and we have worked with the government of Quebec on this issue that Mr. Legault seems to want to politicize at all costs,” he added.

He listed several issues in which his government has acted: closing Roxham Road, renegotiation of the safe third country agreement, reimposition of visas for Mexican nationals visiting the country, and new limits on the number of international students. , and asked Mr. Legault what his plan was to reduce his share of temporary immigration.

Confrontation

This statement was the culmination of a clash between the two governments. The previous week, François Legault had indicated that he no longer had confidence in Justin Trudeau to resolve immigration problems and put pressure on the Parti Québécois to urge the Bloc Québécois to help bring down the government.

In the House, Mr. Legault went even further on his preferences by asserting: “What we need, in Ottawa, is an economic government,” he said. On September 21, he rebroadcast a publication on the X platform from an advisor to Pierre Poilievre who attacked the Bloc Québécois.

However, he corrected the situation by then maintaining that he did not support any party.

Another symbol of this cold which seems to have set in: no member of the Quebec government attended Thursday evening the official dinner organized by the Trudeau government in honor of French President Emmanuel Macron in Montreal, according to what the 98.5 FM. There was only the general delegate of Quebec in Paris, Henri-Paul Rousseau.

But several ministers of the Quebec government explained that they had been invited at the last minute by Mr. Trudeau’s team. This is the case of Mr. Roberge, who already had a family activity planned, just like the Minister of the Economy Christine Fréchette or the Minister of Culture Mathieu Lacombe.

Strained relationships

Other Quebec ministers have the impression that relations are “tense” between Quebec and Ottawa. This is the case of the Minister for Health Sonia Bélanger, who is leading the medical assistance in dying file.

“It’s tense. It’s tense. We communicate, but there is no follow-up, no decisions are taken,” she lamented. What she observes: “good exchanges”, “good communication”, then, after a few days, “no follow-up, no decision-making”.

Sonia Bélanger, Minister for Health

Environment Minister Benoit Charette, for his part, opposes a decree from his federal counterpart Steven Guilbeault to protect the woodland caribou. He says he feels like he’s been invited to a “cons’ dinner.”

“We’re feeling a little cold these days,” he said.

But where things get stuck more is on immigration. “They haven’t understood anything for a while, and it’s not because we don’t explain it to them. I have 60 schools of 24 classes each that we opened to promote francization. I lack schools, I lack teachers,” lamented the Minister of Education, Bernard Drainville.

Regarding asylum seekers, there is “no progress, no none, it is time for that to change,” said Mr. Roberge.