Quebec Prime Minister Francois Lego speaks at a press conference in the legislature in Quebec City on June 10. Jacques Boasino / The Canadian Press
Quebec’s plans to attract more French-speaking newcomers have angered some business owners who say they need immigrants from different backgrounds to cope with the country’s difficult labor market.
Unlike other provinces, Quebec can choose its economic immigrants. Earlier, the government reduced the number of new permanent residents it introduced, relying more on temporary workers and saying it had increased the Francophone share of economic immigrants.
Prime Minister Francois Lego’s coalition Avenir Quebec is determined to defend the French, who he says are vulnerable in predominantly English-speaking North America, ahead of the October 3 election.
His government announced a new French language minister and passed a broad law requiring, among other things, newcomers to receive most unhealthy services in French after six months in the province.
While Mr Lego is campaigning to attract more Francophones, some business owners warn that the move could repel immigrants with critical skills. Quebec has the second highest vacancy rate in Canada among the provinces.
Montreal-based entrepreneur Vince Guzo, whose business includes restaurants and movie theaters, said he was desperate for dishwashers, no matter what language they spoke.
“I was going to download an app … and my phone would translate it into Punjabi if I had to,” Mr Guzo told Reuters.
According to Statistics Canada from the fourth quarter of 2021, Quebec accounts for almost 40% of approximately 81,000 vacancies in Canada. Production accounts for 12.6% of Quebec’s gross domestic product in 2021 – higher than any other sector.
“We are not saying that French is not important. But this becomes a limiting factor when we strive to attract the best people and talents we need, “said Veronica Prue, president of Quebec manufacturers and exporters.
She called Quebec’s transition to temporary work a “bandage” for labor shortages. “We have some companies that are thinking of shutting down production lines.”
Minister Jean Boulet, in charge of labor and immigration in Quebec, said in an email that his government had taken steps to attract foreign students and attract workers to priority sectors. He said the new law would include services that make it easier to learn French.
Quebec plans to accept more than 71,000 permanent residents in 2022, after the number of immigrants dropped to 25,225 in 2020 due to the pandemic.
Mr Boule said the CAQ had deliberately brought in fewer new permanent residents since coming to power in 2018 to help newcomers integrate, and that he was working to better recognize foreign powers.
Quebec’s share of Canada’s total new permanent residents fell to about 12.4 percent last year from 21.3 percent in 2012, according to government figures.
Quebec also risks losing newcomers to other Canadian regions. About 16.3 percent of immigrants who came to Quebec in 2009 left for other provinces by 2019, nearly twice as many as Ontario, according to Statistics Canada.
Quebec has historically been a popular destination for immigrants in Canada. But changing the criteria for making temporary residents permanent and the long wait for a residence permit may discourage newcomers, said Montreal-based immigration lawyer Rosalie Brunel.
Ms Boulet said 84% of economic immigrants admitted in 2021 spoke French, compared to 56% in 2019.
His office said Quebec had increased its Francophone share by selecting candidates for certain immigration flows and by making French programs available to temporary residents.
Mr Lego wants Quebec to choose people who immigrate to join their families – a power held by the federal government of Canada – so that it can choose more French-speakers.
The head of a producer said the government wanted companies to hire French-speaking workers.
Quebec said companies could also turn to alternatives such as automation.
“The dream is to have well-trained French-speaking workers, but that’s not always realistic,” said Technosub CEO Eric Bopre. Technosub, based in the rural Ruin-Noranda, Quebec, manufactures and repairs mining pumps and other sectors.
With limited local labor, Technosub is hiring more temporary workers from Latin America and the Philippines who need skills and are learning French to work, he said.
Emmanuel Suerte Felipe arrived at Technosub as a temporary worker from the Philippines in 2018. His French is good enough for work, but he worries that he will move to permanent residence as he wants to bring his family to Quebec.
“I would like to stay here,” he said. “I found my dream job.”
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