(Ottawa) A day after the Trudeau administration backed away from the Initiative of the Century, which proposes using immigration as a tool to increase Canada’s population to 100 million by the year 2100, the Bloc Québécois continues to hit the nail on the head to the point. Minister Mélanie Joly sees this as a maneuver to stir up fear.
Posted at 2:03 p.m. Updated at 2:03 p.m.
“Well, we repeat it again, the bloc needs to hear it clearly: the centenary initiative is not government policy. We will stop frightening the world on the side of the Bloc Québécois,” Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly said on Friday in the House of Commons in response to a question from Christine Normandin.
PHOTO JUSTIN TANG, THE CANADIAN PRESS
Foreign Minister Melanie Joly
The bloc member had just pointed out that the liberal admissions target of 500,000 immigrants by 2025 was modeled after that of the group. “Can you reassure Quebecers that your target will be below 500,000 by 2026? ‘ she challenged. “On the one hand they say that they oppose the initiative, on the other hand they refuse to support our motion, which opposes the initiative,” she also lamented.
Signals in the Liberal camp were that they would reject the bloc motion to be voted on Monday because they “reject the premises of the motion, including the preamble that reiterates that our goals are linked to the initiative.” “, it said on Thursday. The New Democrats will also vote against it. Deputy leader Alexandre Boulerice accused the bloc of “diverting and breaking the sugar on the backs of immigrants”.
online petition
On another front, the virtual one, the Bloc Québécois is circulating a petition against the initiative of the century.
A Twitter post containing the link to the petition highlighted an excerpt of Representative Nathalie Sinclair-Desgagné’s speech in the House of Representatives Thursday: “This country we will build together, Quebec immigrants and Quebec residents, with ours Brothers.” and our sisters from the first peoples, because only Quebecers want to be.
Between relief and worry
On the Quebec side, the Initiative of the Century raises serious concerns as it would likely negatively impact Quebec’s demographic weight within Canada and the survival of the French language.
PHOTO JACQUES BOISSINOT, THE CANADIAN PRESS
The Prime Minister of Quebec, François Legault
Prime Minister François Legault expressed his concerns in the National Assembly on Wednesday. On Thursday, he breathed a sigh of relief over his press secretary, Ewan Sauves, albeit cautiously, after Ottawa distanced itself.
“It was time for the federal government to face the facts. “The goal proposed by the Initiative of the Century was totally inconsistent with the urgency of protecting and reversing the decline of the French in Quebec,” the spokesman said.
That means: “the goal.” [fédérale] That leaves a figure of 500,000 immigrants a year, and we don’t think that’s more appropriate,” he added, recalling that Quebec “itself decides the number of permanent immigrants” and that it “is never in question for our government came to have such immigrants”. an increase in immigration”.
The goal of the Centennial Initiative is to increase the population of Canada to 100 million by the year 2100.
It is driven by experts “who share a belief that prosperity requires planning and that with the right approach to growth, Canada can increase its economic strength and resilience domestically, as well as its influence abroad,” according to the Toronto think tank’s website.