CAQ immigration mess: a state of play
Benjamin Shingler writes a very good state of play about the CAQ’s immigration fumbles. I had not realized till now that Quebec has no control over refugees and family unification programs, which are overseen by the feds. The group it can pick and choose from is economic migrants. So that’s where it had to make its cuts – among people wanting to come to Quebec to study and work – which is why it keeps making missteps like trying to throw out applications from skilled workers or ending programs allowing people studying here to apply for residency.
To cap it off, the CAQ lost a vote on these reforms in the National Assembly on Wednesday because not enough of its MNAs were present.
Update: Here’s another prize: a woman from France rejected because one section of her PhD thesis was in English. She has passed the official French test but has been declined because she has not proven she knows French well enough. Given that test, two thirds of birth francophones here would be booted out.
ant6n 11:05 on 2019-11-07 Permalink
I got in on a student visa, and later immigrated with the PEQ (Quebec experience program). As the CAQ makes it more difficult, I’m not so sure I would have been able to come here and stay. Although the biggest barrier would probably the international tuition, which tripled since ten years ago, when international students were thrown under the bus at the end of the student strikes. Also, once you pay 40K/year or so, you may as well try to make it to an ivy league college (where it should also be easier to get scholarships), the unis here aren’t _that_ prestigious.
david100 11:33 on 2019-11-07 Permalink
They have more control over the refugees than you might think by looking at the delimitation of immigration powers – basically, the province can refuse to house them or pay for them, which would force the feds to settle them elsewhere. As it stands, last time I checked, the province is happy enough to take the money – which makes sense, as the feds are supporting services that employ people in some first-on-the-block-during-cost-cutting type professions/areas.
I’m not following it at all so this is speculation, but I’d guess that, rather than killing the flow of refugees, the CAQ would dearly love to move some of the refugee money/jobs from Montreal into the towns to help their constituents, but that the towns are telling them that they don’t want a bunch of ooga-boogas from Libya or whereever creeping around, scaring people, whatever. A rhetoric-meets-the-road situation, with the resolution that – again, just speculating – they take the money and house the refugees mostly in Montreal, but rely on a bunch of onerous requirements (French, wear normal clothing, maybe some other stuff at a bureaucratic level) to push the newcomers out to Canada when they’re on their feet and the federal money has run out.
Kate 13:16 on 2019-11-07 Permalink
The newcomers are already in Canada, david100.