While Justin Trudeau wants to be the champion of tolerance, his immigration policies and moralizing discourse risk causing exactly the opposite: a rise in intolerance.
• Also read: Letter from Legault to Trudeau: The CAQ has been slow to act, the PQ claims
• Also read: Letter to Justin Trudeau: Legault calls for fewer asylum seekers
The Trudeau government's disorganized and borderless migration policy is leading to what we are experiencing today: a crisis.
Accommodation capacity
Canada – and Quebec, whatever some say – is one of the countries in the world most open to immigration. Basically good news for reception and integration.
This is provided that it is well organized and planned and takes into account the reception capacity.
We're coming a long way, however, as the Trudeau government's immigration minister, Marc Miller, spoke last week of how absorption capacity is “a phrase that's on everyone's lips to express that people want less from immigrants.”
Here is an example of reception capacity that goes beyond the question of accommodation.
In a letter sent to Justin Trudeau yesterday, François Legault explains that 1,150 reception classes had to be opened for this school year alone, equivalent to about fifty primary schools. It's enormous.
But the federal government is always very close when it comes to setting the direction, but always very far away when it comes to providing services.
Tensions
The Trudeau government is beginning to realize the demographic shock its policies have caused.
Shamefully, pleading his innocence will not be an option.
Officials warned them that raising immigration thresholds would worsen the already existing housing crisis. They rushed forward with their heads bowed. The result is what we know today.
While some stoke irrational fears surrounding immigration, others take the opposite path and arrive at the same point: by denying any problem, they contribute to anti-immigrant sentiment.
The Trudeau government's mediocrity on this issue is creating social tensions – unnecessary and avoidable. For moral and electoral reasons.
And the worst thing is that when these tensions become more evident, they will not even hesitate to act as a bulwark against them.
This is what we call scoring your goal.