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Parti Québécois Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon’s plan to more than halve temporary immigration in Quebec drew criticism from his rivals Saturday, who accused him of making immigrants bear the blame for problems in public schools and of risking worsening the province’s labour shortage.
St-Pierre Plamondon said a PQ government would reduce the number of temporary immigrants in Quebec from more than 500,000 to between 200,000 and 250,000, arguing current levels have exceeded the province’s capacity to provide housing and public services.
The debate over immigration came on the third day of the provincial election campaign, as Quebec’s party leaders fanned out across the province with promises on public transit, home care, gasoline prices and the economy.
“We’re facing a total loss of control of our immigration system,” he said outside a Quebec City high school where modular classrooms are being used to accommodate students.
St-Pierre Plamondon blamed the governing Coalition Avenir Québec for the sharp rise in temporary immigration, targeting CAQ Leader Christine Fréchette over her previous tenure as immigration minister.
As it reduced temporary immigration, the sovereigntist PQ would protect sectors that rely heavily on temporary workers, including agriculture, manufacturing and health care, while taking regional needs into account, he said.
The party also reiterated its pledge to reduce permanent immigration to 35,000 people a year, down from the government’s current target of 45,000. Until its temporary immigration target is reached, it would select economic immigrants seeking permanent residence from among temporary immigrants already in Quebec rather than from abroad.
St-Pierre Plamondon rejected suggestions that he was blaming immigrants themselves for strains on public services.
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“Never will the Parti Québécois blame people who become Quebecers,” he said. “We blame the CAQ and the federal government.”
Also campaigning in Quebec City, Québec solidaire co-spokesperson Ruba Ghazal criticized St-Pierre Plamondon’s decision to make the announcement outside a school, accusing him of making immigrant children bear the blame for overcrowding and deteriorating school infrastructure.
“I find it appalling that Mr. Paul St-Pierre Plamondon continues to talk about immigration in such a negative way,” Ghazal said. “I was that immigrant child myself, a child of Bill 101.”
Bill 101, Quebec’s landmark French-language law, generally requires children of immigrants to attend French-language schools.
Ghazal blamed successive governments for years of underinvestment in public schools, adding: “We can’t make immigrant children bear the blame for that.”
In Shawinigan, Quebec Liberal Leader Charles Milliard also criticized the PQ proposal, arguing it would worsen Quebec’s labour shortage as businesses grapple with the U.S. trade war.
“It’s the worst time to tell the business community and entrepreneurs that we’re going to have even less labour,” Milliard said.
Earlier Saturday in Drummondville, CAQ Leader Christine Fréchette appealed to sovereigntist voters who are reluctant to hold a referendum in the coming years to back her party rather than the PQ.
“Many people who would be tempted to vote Yes (…) are aware that this is the worst time in the last 50 years to hold a referendum,” she said, pointing to the trade war with the United States.
Fréchette also promised an additional $1 billion over four years for homecare services.
Elsewhere, Ghazal pledged $23 billion over 10 years to repair and expand public transit infrastructure.
Quebec Conservative Leader Éric Duhaime promised to pull Quebec out of its cap-and-trade carbon market and suspend the province’s 19.2-cent-per-litre fuel tax for five months, measures he said would lower gasoline prices by about 33 cents a litre.
Milliard also promised to reduce red tape for small and medium-sized businesses.
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