Prime Minister Trudeau rejects Quebec request for full powers over immigration

MONTREAL — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday rejected Quebec’s request for additional powers over immigration, saying the province has more control over newcomers than any other Canadian jurisdiction.

In response, Premier François Legault said Quebec would “study all its options” to quickly reduce the number of asylum seekers and temporary foreign workers in the province, which currently stands at more than 500,000 people.

Trudeau made the comments to reporters after a meeting with Legault at the premier’s request in Montreal. The prime minister’s statement is a rebuke to Legault, who on Thursday said he would use the meeting to ask Trudeau for full control over immigration.

“No, we won’t give more powers over immigration,” Trudeau told reporters. “Quebec already has more power over immigration than any other province because it’s very important to protect French.”

Trudeau said he is more interested in finding ways of making the system work better rather than discussing jurisdiction.

“It’s not a question of who has control of what,” he said. “We’re there to collaborate, to work together.”

Shortly after, Legault held a separate news conference, during which he said it was “too soon” to give details on how the province would consider rapidly reducing the number of asylum seekers and temporary foreign workers in Quebec.

“The Quebec people have always been welcoming, but now we have surpassed our capacity,” the premier said.

Quebec already controls the number of economic immigrants to the province, but it shares responsibility with Ottawa over refugees, newcomers who arrive through the family reunification stream, and temporary foreign workers.

However, despite Trudeau’s refusal, Legault said the prime minister showed a significant amount of “openness” on other matters related to immigration. The premier said Trudeau was open to requiring that temporary foreign workers be approved by Quebec before they can move to the province, a measure Legault said would amount to a “veto power” over those applicants and represent a “significant” gain.

Trudeau, the premier said, also agreed to consider imposing more travel visas, like Ottawa recently did on Mexican nationals. As well, Legault said the prime minister was open to accelerating the treatment of asylum seekers claims, from 18 months to six months.

Finally, Legault said, the two governments would create a working group to analyze Quebec’s demand for $1 billion in compensation from Ottawa for the money it said it spent on caring for asylum seekers in the past three years.

Legault has said that Quebec has already accepted more than its share of refugee claimants, and that the province doesn’t have enough teachers, nurses and housing to welcome more.

Asylum seekers and temporary immigrants who don’t speak French threaten the predominance of the language in the province, especially in Montreal, the premier said. “So if we want to protect our language, our nation, our identity, our culture, we need to have the powers regarding immigration,” Legault insisted.

Trudeau says, however, that Ottawa has taken action to reduce asylum claims by closing down Roxham Road, which was used as an unofficial crossing for refugee claimants coming into the province through the United States, and by reimposing visas for Mexicans. He said the federal government is reviewing the international student program and is willing to discuss limiting temporary workers where needed.

“I am hearing very clearly from Premier Legault and from different Quebecers that they want to see the number of temporary workers go down across Quebec, and we’re there to work hand in hand with Quebec in a collaborative way,” he said, while adding that many industries rely heavily on international workers.

In a statement posted to X, formerly Twitter, Parti Québécois Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon lambasted Trudeau’s refusal to grant Quebec complete power over immigration policy, and said the province is “once again losing face” as a result.

“It’s embarrassing for Quebec,” St-Pierre Plamondon wrote. “We’re better than this perpetual humiliation.”

The Parti Québécois has enjoyed a surge in polls in recent months and would now overtake Legault’s Coalition Avenir Québec party in an election, according to several recent projections.

St-Pierre Plamondon has railed against federal control over immigration and suggested a referendum on whether Quebec should claim the additional powers it seeks.

Trudeau dodged a question Friday about whether his refusal threatens the unity of Canada, but he acknowledged that a rapid increase in temporary immigrants is putting pressure on the country.

“We’re all about rolling up our sleeves and working with the provincial government to solve some of these challenges,” the prime minister said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 15, 2024.

Thomas MacDonald, The Canadian Press