The premier of Quebec, François Legault, recently announced a six-month freeze on new temporary foreign workers coming to work low-wage jobs in the Montreal area. This decision was made in an effort to protect the French language and public services in the province. Legault, along with Christine Fréchette, the province’s immigration minister, made the announcement on Tuesday morning.
The premier highlighted the need for this freeze by pointing out the current teacher shortage in Quebec, exacerbated by an increase in the number of students, many of whom are newcomers. The freeze specifically applies to temporary foreign worker applications for jobs in the Montreal area with wages below $27.47 per hour, which is the median hourly wage in Quebec. The freeze will take effect on September 3 and will also apply to the renewal of current temporary foreign workers.
However, there are exceptions to this freeze. Jobs in the fields of health, education, construction, agriculture, and food processing will not be affected. Legault estimates that this measure will reduce the number of temporary immigrants by 3,500 over the next six months. He emphasized that this is just the first step and reiterated his desire for Quebec to have more immigration powers from Ottawa.
The federal government will suspend the processing of Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) applications as a result of Quebec’s plan. According to the Quebec government, the province currently has 600,000 non-permanent residents, a figure that has doubled since 2021. Legault stated that these newcomers are putting a strain on health and education services, as well as housing in the province.
Legault has been vocal about the impact of temporary immigration on Quebec, claiming that the province would not have a housing crisis if it hadn’t added 300,000 new temporary immigrants in recent years. He reiterated the importance of preserving the French language, especially in Montreal, and called for Quebec to have more control over immigration policies.
Despite Quebec and Ottawa working together on this initiative, there are still disagreements between the two sides regarding the management of temporary immigrants. Legault has asked Ottawa to reduce its number of managed temporary immigrants by half, from 420,000 to around 210,000. He criticized the federal government for not taking sufficient action in this regard.
Opposition parties have criticized the CAQ government for its handling of temporary immigration, with some accusing the government of improvising on measures that do little to address the issue. The Parti-Québécois leader, Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, described Legault’s plan as surface-level and limited in its impact. Québec Solidaire immigration critic Guillaume Cliche-Rivard expressed concerns that the measures put forward are not directly addressing the needs of Quebec.
Overall, Legault’s announcement of a freeze on new temporary foreign workers in low-wage jobs in the Montreal area has sparked debate and criticism from various political parties. The future implications of this decision and its impact on Quebec’s immigration policies remain to be seen.