The House of Commons has approved a motion proposed by the Bloc Québécois to review current immigration quotas within 100 days. The motion, passed with a vote of 173-150, received opposition solely from the Liberal party.
Brought by Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-Francois Blanchet and seconded by Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe, the approved motion calls for consultations between the cabinet and provincial premiers to assess integration capacities and proposes a revised plan for immigration targets in 2024, specifically these five points:
- Recall its unanimous vote of November 1, 2023, calling on the government “to review its immigration targets starting in 2024, after consultation with Quebec, the provinces and territories, based on their integration capacity, particularly in terms of housing, health care, education, French language training and transportation infrastructure, all with a view to successful immigration”;
- Call on the Prime Minister to convene a meeting with his counterparts of Quebec, the provinces and the territories in order to consult them on their respective integration capacities;
- Call on the government to table in the House, within 100 days, a plan for revising federal immigration targets in 2024 based on the integration capacity of Quebec, the provinces and the territories;
- Call on the government to table in the House, within 100 days, a report on the gap between the resources that are needed to align federal immigration targets in 2024 and the capacity of Quebec, provinces and territories to successfully resettle newcomers; and
- Call on the government to table in the House, within 100 days, a plan to ensure adequate resources are provided to Quebec, provinces and territories to support the successful resettlement of newcomers.
“Canadians basically strongly disagree with the immigration policies of what is left of this government,” Blanchet said.
Canada’s current annual immigration quota stands at 500,000, in addition to permits for temporary foreign workers and foreign students. Blanchet highlighted concerns over the strain on resources and infrastructure due to high immigration volumes, citing examples of homelessness among asylum seekers in Montreal.
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However, Immigration Minister Marc Miller defended the existing quotas, emphasizing the importance of newcomers to Canada’s economy and workforce, especially in light of demographic challenges.
“The main reason is we need newcomers as much as they need us,” Miller said. “Immigration is crucial to expand our labour force, to ensure our economy prospers and to guarantee the quality of the social services Canadians depend on. Faced with an aging population, we need qualified and talented newcomers to ensure our future economic prosperity.”
This defense comes shortly after Miller told Bloomberg that Canada has “gotten addicted to temporary foreign workers.”
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