CAQ bill boosts power to verify values, French proficiency
Sweeping bill would also try to match newcomers with needs of employers
QUEBEC The immigration minister has tabled sweeping legislation designed to eventually increase his powers to verify the knowledge of French, Quebec and democratic values of new arrivals as was promised in the provincial election campaign.
And the Coalition Avenir Québec government is also seeking the power to trash a large chunk of the backlog of 18,000 immigrant applications it found sitting in government file cabinets when it took over from the Liberals rather than try to process them.
Quebec plans to refund the $1,000 application fee for anyone who applied to enter Quebec as an economic immigrant before Aug. 2, 2018 under the Regular Skilled Worker Program.
The move will cost the treasury about $19 million. Some of the applications date back six years.
Applicants will be informed of the decision and, if interested, may re-apply under the existing Expression of Interest Program, which matches the work skills of potential immigrants with employers seeking labour.
That reflects the CAQ approach to “marry the profile of workers and available jobs,” instead of the old first-come, first-served system, said Immigration, Diversity and Inclusiveness Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette.
“It’s like the Tinder (a dating application) of immigration,” Jolin-Barrette said.
He noted that under the existing system an immigrant can wait as long as three years to hear back from the ministry.
Under the Expression of Interest program the wait is six months.
Both measures are included in legislation tabled in the National Assembly Thursday by the minister. Bill 9 is tagged as an effort to increase prosperity and adequately meet labour market needs through successful immigrant integration.
One key element of the CAQ’s immigration program, however, is not in the bill.
While it repeats the CAQ’s election promise to create the legal framework for the party’s French and values testing scheme, it goes no further down that road.
The original CAQ program calls for a three-year period in which immigrants have to learn French or face expulsion.
At a news conference after tabling the bill, Jolin-Barrette described these elements as policy mechanics and said they would come at a later date.
But he also conceded before he can deploy the CAQ’s complete and controversial vision he has to negotiate with the federal government, which still controls much of the immigration system.
The province only fully controls the economic immigration category — people who want to invest or work here — often on a temporary basis.
That negotiation will be especially critical when it comes to the CAQ’s attempt in this bill (Section 9) to link the granting of permanent residency — which Ottawa controls — to the Quebec Immigration Act allowing Quebec to impose conditions (such as the ability to speak French or work in the regions) on foreign nationals.
Ottawa is in charge of granting permanent residence status.
To allow Quebec to impose these conditions, Ottawa has to amend its own immigration law.
Jolin-Barrette, however, heaped blame on the former Liberal government, which he claimed allowed the power — which it had from 1993 to 2013 — to slip out of Quebec’s hands.
“We inherited a deficient immigration system,” Jolin-Barrette said. “I have the mandate from the premier to correct the situation.”
The Liberals immediately said Jolin-Barrette is talking through his hat because he will have trouble prying such powers out of Ottawa.
Liberal immigration critic Dominique Anglade denied letting the powers slip away, noting that explains why the CAQ government inserted another clause in the bill that states the Quebec government can, by regulation, determine the conditions an employer must respect to be able to hire an economic immigrant.
“(The old clause) was obsolete and that’s the reason why they decided to let it go back then,” Anglade told reporters.
Anglade also blasted Jolin-Barrette for dumping the backlog of 18,000 files overboard with no notice.
“These are not just pieces of paper,” Anglade told reporters.
“We’re talking about the lives of people, we’re probably talking about 50,000 individuals. Now we’re saying we don’t even care, sorry, too bad, too late. This gives Quebec a very negative image.”
The bill was, nevertheless, immediately given the thumbs up by the business community because it pledges to better connect the needs of employers to the pool of potential immigrants.
Business hopes the bill attracts more immigrants to the regions, which are suffering from chronic labour shortages.
Under the Expression of Interest program an immigrant who is willing to live outside the Montreal area has a better chance of being accepted.
“For employers, this represents good news because their voice has finally been heard,” said Yves-Thomas Dorval, president of the Conseil du patronat, the province’s largest employer group.
“The needs of the market are being considered.
“The bill tabled today speeds up reforms aimed at better linking the selection of immigrants to the economic needs of Quebec,” added Stéphane Forget, president of Fédération des chambres de commerce du Québec (FCCQ). pauthier@postmedia.com
We inherited a deficient immigration system. I have the mandate from the premier to correct the situation.