(Paris) Justin Trudeau did not want to have another skirmish with François Legault on immigration in the middle of a mission abroad. But he gave her a little message. To his request to forcibly move tens of thousands of asylum seekers living in Quebec to other provinces, he responds that his intention is to protect human rights.
Posted at 6:56 a.m.
During a press conference at the Grand Palais in Paris where the Francophonie Summit was being held on Saturday, the Prime Minister of Canada first responded that the place and time were not conducive to dealing with a conflict ” domestic “.
On September 26, he took the liberty of shooting arrows at Mr. Legault during a press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron. He had accused his counterpart of telling falsehoods about immigration.
If he then saw fit to launch a salvo of criticism towards Mr. Legault in front of the foreign visit, Mr. Trudeau decided this time not to do so while visiting abroad.
“I do not want to highlight domestic political differences when we travel internationally,” he said on Saturday, while Mr. Legault made his request and addressed reproaches to Ottawa as part of his mission to Paris . “But I will say that we have been working on immigration solutions with the Quebec government for months, even years,” he argued.
He stressed that his intention is to continue to “be there to support Quebecers” and “to protect the rights of everyone”.
He also listed measures taken by his government in recent years, such as closing Roxham Road, reinstating visas for Mexicans, reducing the number of foreign students and temporary foreign workers.
We have been able to do a lot and there is still a lot to do, while defending people’s fundamental rights.
Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada
Ottawa considers that the request from the Prime Minister of Quebec does not respect the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, as a federal government source argued Friday as the Francophonie Summit opened.
François Legault also called for Ottawa to take inspiration from France and create “waiting zones” for asylum seekers in different provinces. Justin Trudeau had an evasive response.
“We all know that different countries have different issues and different ways” of approaching them, he said. “In Canada, we understand how important immigration is for economic growth, for the well-being of our societies […]but we have to make sure it’s done the right way. » He added that his government “has been working for a long time with different provinces to ensure that we continue to welcome people appropriately.”
“The journey of shame”, according to the PLQ
“This week, François Legault shamed us,” reacted the interim leader of the Liberal Party of Quebec, Marc Tanguay, in a statement published on social networks. According to him, he did not live up to his role as prime minister in France. “By completely ignoring the Quebec Charter of Rights and Freedoms, he made a shocking and unacceptable proposal in terms of immigration,” he added, referring to forced displacement outside Quebec and the creation of zones waiting for asylum seekers. In his eyes, Mr. Legault’s comments demonstrate “pure improvisation and a lack of humanity towards human beings”.
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