Immigration, economy top Quebec premier's federal election wish list
CBC
Quebec Premier François Legault held a news conference Thursday outlining his government's priorities for the federal election.
Unsurprisingly, protecting Quebec's national identity and economic prosperity topped the list.
"On identity, my greatest concern, and I've often said it, is immigration," Legault said.
He specified, however, that immigrants as such aren't the problem but rather their sheer number.
Legault said the explosion of immigrants in recent years has outstripped the province's ability to welcome them and is putting increasing pressure on social services and schools.
The high number of immigrants is also seen as a major obstacle in reversing what Legault says is the decline of the French language in Quebec.
Quebec is calling on the federal parties to commit to reducing the number of temporary immigrants in the province and wants control to select and set thresholds for temporary workers who are part of the international mobility program.
The top priority, Legault said, is for Ottawa to reduce the number of temporary immigrants from 400,000 to 200,000 over the next three years.
On Wednesday, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said during a campaign stop in La Belle Province that he was committed to working collaboratively with the province to halve the number of temporary workers and asylum seekers in Quebec.
That scored him some points with Legault, but unlike previous years, Quebec's premier was tightlipped about who he'd like to see in power in Ottawa.
"What I hope, really, is that all the leaders accept our demands," he said, adding the future leader would also need to be a good negotiator. "But don't ask me who's best," he joked.
Being a good negotiator will indeed be critical for the incoming leader as tariff threats from U.S. President Donald Trump continue to loom.
Before outlining his own demands on Thursday, Legault reacted to news of Trump's announcement of a 25 per cent tariff on the auto sector set for April 2.
He said that while the measure would mostly affect automakers in Ontario, it would have a trickle-down effect in Quebec where many subcontractors and suppliers are located.
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