Several leaders and political parties are cutting corners when talking about the connection between immigration and the housing crisis, believes Quebec Solidarity MP Guillaume Cliche-Rivard.
• Also read: The number of Mexican asylum seekers in Canada is skyrocketing
• Also read: Record year for asylum applications in Quebec despite Roxham Road closure
• Also read: Canadian universities fear a limit on permits for foreign students
The man who was president of the Quebec Association of Lawyers in Immigration Law before jumping into politics published an open letter on Sunday in which he accuses the CAQ and PQ in particular of taking the wrong path and even missing the facts in their speeches to distract from this sensitive topic.
“To hear them, the root cause of the housing crisis is not real estate speculation, evictions or even declines in housing starts. NO! For them, immigrants are suddenly the main cause of the housing crisis,” jokes the member of Saint-Henri-Sainte-Anne.
Guillaume Cliche-Rivard calls for a real immigration debate based on facts and data rather than impressions.
“We cannot continue to just go there on a whim. We have to rely on science,” he proclaims.
Immigration destinations
The supporting MP criticizes the will of the Liberal Party of Canada, which wants to significantly increase the immigration thresholds, and that of the Parti Québécois, which wants to significantly lower them.
“Each in his own way, the positions of Paul Saint-Pierre Plamondon and Justin Trudeau are irresponsible and risk serious consequences for the future of Quebec,” claims Mr. Cliche-Rivard.
The latter confirms that of the 65,000 immigrants that Quebec will have to accept in 2024, at least half already have accommodation in the province. This includes students and workers already living in Quebec or people joining their families living here.
“This means that a radical lowering of Quebec's immigration thresholds, as the Parti Québécois wants, will have catastrophic effects, not only on Quebec's economy, but also on the lives of hundreds of thousands of people who have chosen Quebec,” announces Guillaume Cliché-Rivard.
The latter indicates that currently 120,000 people are already on the waiting list to obtain permanent residence in Quebec.
“A drastic reduction in the thresholds would therefore mean that their already very long waiting time would double or even triple, which of course would have tragic consequences for many of them,” regrets the member of Québec Solidaire.
“Quebec has absolutely nothing to gain from leaving all these people in the dark,” he adds.
Mr. Cliche-Rivard also criticizes François Legault for failing to ensure that Quebec's jurisdiction is respected by the federal government by allowing many temporary immigrants to settle in the province without the approval of the Quebec government.
In addition, the Solidarity MP criticizes the lack of empathy towards immigrants and refugees, which is expressed in the debate about the housing crisis.
“Temporary immigrants are not just an invented means to address labor shortages. Above all, these are people who often live in precarious conditions. At the very least, they deserve to be truly considered,” the elected official wrote.
Québec Solidaire Solutions
Guillaume Cliche-Rivard proposes the creation of a committee of experts to assess the real absorption capacity of Quebec and its regions in order to “stop talking blindly about immigration”.
Pending the conclusions of this committee, he proposes to set a threshold for responsible temporary immigration.
Québec Solidaire believes that CEGEPs and universities, in collaboration with the government, must analyze the housing market in their communities and build the necessary student housing before they can accommodate more foreign students.
The federal and state governments must also come to an agreement so that everyone makes their fair contribution to accepting asylum seekers.
“Of course, everything must be done in a concerted, caring and voluntary manner, taking into account the vulnerability of those who ask for protection here,” mentions Guillaume Cliche-Rivard.
“Quebec has nothing to gain from the immigration debate taking a polarizing turn. In fact, the only people who benefit from this are those who think they can use it to change the poll number,” he concludes.