Quebec Premier Francois Legault announced a six-month freeze on the intake of new temporary foreign workers for low-wage jobs in Montreal beginning in September.
News of the freeze is in response to the influx of temporary immigrants that the province has received over the past two years, increasing from 300,000 to 600,000 since 2022.
The Quebec government is now calling for a “significant and rapid” reduction to the province’s immigration, which Legault said has “clearly surpassed its capacity of integration.”
The premier said after several talks with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that he felt it was time for his government to lead by example.
“We’re putting a lot of pressure since almost a year on Justin Trudeau to reduce the 420,000 temporary immigrants controlled by the federal government,” said Legault in a press conference on Tuesday.
“Few times Mr. Trudeau and (Immigration Minister) Mr. Miller said ‘but what about your program?’” he said. “So we only have about 12,000 workers in Montreal in Quebec’s program. So we take action today. I hope they won’t use this argument anymore and finally make a move to reduce the number of immigrants.”
Legault said the additional 300,000 temporary foreign workers in the last two years has had “a major impact on services like education, like healthcare and a major impact on housing.”
“When we talk about an additional 300,000, it means more than a 100,000 additional houses that are needed,” said the premier. “No way we can build 100,000 places within two years, so it has a major impact.”
Legault also lamented how many temporary foreign workers that arrive in Quebec through federal programs do not speak French, which he feels is putting the province’s language at risk.
Additionally, the premier said that when it comes to asylum seekers, he finds it unfair that “Quebec received 50% of them coming to Canada, while we represent only 22% of the population.”
During the announcement, Legault confirmed that he has requested the Trudeau government reduce its two federal immigration programs by 50% “as soon as possible.”
“I would say that at least the last six, eight, ten months, we have been asking that, and so far they haven’t taken any major action. So it’s about time they make a move because even Quebecers suffer regarding housing, regarding services,” said Legault.
“It puts a lot of pressure on French, especially on the island of Montreal.”
When asked why he was blaming these problems on temporary immigrants, Legault responded by saying, “It’s facts.”
“I think we are, in Canada, in Quebec, the place that is welcoming the highest number of immigrants,” he said. “Come on, it’s a question of facts. You cannot accept an additional 300,000 people in two years without (an) impact on the number of teachers you need, nurses you need, the number of houses you need and the future of French.”
According to provincial officials, the freeze, effective this fall, will also apply to application renewals from current temporary foreign workers in Montreal.
“There will be exceptions,” Legault said. “Obviously we need teachers, we need nurses, so there will be exclusions.”
Other sectors like food processing and construction will also be exempt from the freeze, as well as temporary foreign workers who earn more than $57,000 a year, the province’s median salary.
Federal Employment Minister Randy Boissonnault confirmed his approval of Quebec’s proposal to freeze applications in Montreal.
“Our government will closely monitor this policy change as it makes its own determinations about future changes to the TFWP,” said Boissonault in a statement.
Legault also announced that his government will table a bill in the fall to cap the number of international students at select educational institutions.