During the election campaign that has just ended, many outrages have been uttered on the issue of immigration.
In addition to the depressing statements made by Jean Boulet and François Legault themselves, namely that the majority of immigrants do not integrate and that it would be suicidal to accept more than 50,000, we have witnessed a veritable struggle for Quebec’s reception capacity.
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It was quite pathetic to see immigrants being exploited in this way by the various political parties. Because beyond the numbers and false talk, there are real people. And let’s face it, it’s often embarrassing to see the fate that’s in store for them once they arrive in Quebec.
As a human rights organization that supports people in financial difficulties, we speak out today to denounce the conditions under which we collectively agree to leave (too) many immigrants behind.
When numbers hide people…
Stories, we could tell you a lot. Immigrants are obviously not a homogeneous group. The routes are varied. Also the motives. Great stories, there are many of them. However, we should not forget the reality experienced by those most in need. And there is more of it than you think.
For example Maria*, who has been living in Quebec since 2020. As a protected person, she has been waiting for her social security number for more than a year. Without this valuable number, she cannot receive family allowance for her two small children aged 2.5 years and a few months.
Unable to work, it is her spouse (a part-time worker with precarious status) who somehow provides for the needs of the family. Due to rent arrears (her income is clearly insufficient), she fears ending up on the streets. She continues to breastfeed her two-year-old because she often has nothing to put on the table. Can you imagine how much stress and stress she experiences every day? As a society, how can we grant someone the status of a protected person and at the same time let them live in extremely precarious conditions?
Meanwhile, Moustafa* made a humanitarian application. Due to his immigrant status, his medications are not covered by the Régie de l’assurance maladie du Québec. However, because he suffers from kidney problems (he’s on dialysis three times a week) and heart problems, he risks dying every day if he can’t afford the medication, which costs him $300 a month. So isn’t solidarity one of the precious values of Quebec, so dear to the Avenir Québec coalition?
These are just two recent cases and we could easily expand this list as we are familiar with such situations.
For a society that excludes no one
Every year we welcome tens of thousands of people to Quebec who, in their own way, contribute to the development and betterment of our society. Several areas of activity depend on this workforce to function. Yet all too often we let them down. It means “finding yourself” in the administrative labyrinth and “pull out your wallet” because the immigration process is extremely expensive. For example, how many “guardian angels” have risked their lives in hospitals and care centers during the pandemic, only to be denied asylum?
François Legault repeats to anyone who will listen that Quebec is not racist. We ask him to demonstrate this by allowing every human being to live in decent and dignified conditions. The Quebec government continues to ask Ottawa for more power in choosing its immigrants. Instead, he should push for the process to be accelerated and broadened. François Legault must stop hiding behind the federal government to justify his inaction. These people live in Quebec. It is his responsibility to ensure that immigrants (status or non-status) have access to the same services and programs and are granted the same rights as the general Quebec population.
* fictional names
Émilie Laurin-Dansereau, Budget Advisor at ACEF du Nord de Montréal
