The Prime Minister described as an “anecdote” the immigration story of a non-French-speaking Liberal elected official who successfully integrated himself, in French, in Quebec. Stunned, deputies accused him of being heartless and of dividing Quebec.
• Read also: Legault “lack of heart” for immigrants
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Tuesday, at the National Assembly, the Liberal deputy from immigration Saul Polo recalled that he arrived in Quebec speaking Spanish and that he speaks French today in the public space.
“He still speaks Spanish at home. [avec son fils]but he speaks French to everyone outside and then he contributes to the advancement of Quebec,” said its leader Dominique Anglade.
The Prime Minister accused the latter of using “an anecdote” to defend his point of view.
Shaken, the Liberal MP replied that he and his family are “not an anecdote.”
“I refuse to accept the label that immigration is a threat to the nation of Quebec, that it is a threat to French, that it is a threat to our regions, that it is a threat to economy”, he cursed.
Also very angry by the words of Mr. Legault, the united deputy Ruba Ghazal has
“Premier François Legault divides Quebecers on immigrants. Me, I immigrated here, to Quebec, with my family more than 30 years ago,” she said. “My family and I are not a threat to the survival of Quebec. I come from non-francophone immigration. Today, I live in French, even if my mother tongue is Arabic and I still speak it today with my parents. It’s nothing exceptional, my story is the same as all these immigrants who enrich Quebec.”
The leader of the government, Simon Jolin Barrette, quickly wanted to rectify the situation.
“I want it to be very clear: the member for Mercier, the member for Laurier-Dorion, the member for Laval-des-Rapides, the member for Robert-Baldwin are role models. We must highlight their choice to choose French, to integrate into French in Quebec society. We must salute him because that is the success of the Quebec model,” he said in defense of his prime minister.
During the General Council of the CAQ last weekend, the Prime Minister affirmed that Quebec would become “a Louisiana” if the federal government does not cede all powers in immigration to him. It is for this reason that he is asking for a strong mandate from the voters. In particular, he criticizes the excessive proportion of immigrants from the family reunification program who do not speak French.
“There is no doubt in my head that François Legault lacks heart when he talks about this,” she said, believing that he is trying to create a false debate.
The Liberal leader, Dominique Anglade, maintains that this is a “shameless exaggeration”.
The Prime Minister added that there was a trend and that if nothing is done, the situation of French in Quebec could be comparable to that of the other provinces within 25 to 60 years. “We have to act,” he said. Mr. Legault’s firm was unable to provide 60-year projections to support his claim.
However, a study conducted by Statistics Canada for the Office de la langue française predicts that the percentage of people speaking French at home will increase from 82% in 2011 to around 75% in 2036.
The leader of the Parti Québécois, Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, admitted half-heartedly that the situation in Quebec could one day resemble that of Louisiana.
“Yes, we are still at risk of seeing French decline irreversibly, especially in certain portions of our territory,” he said. “But what Francois Legault is trying to do is use superlatives to convince people of the far-fetched idea that a few more MPs would change anything in Ottawa, and that’s wrong.”
In Ottawa, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau refused François Legault’s new immigration request.
– With the collaboration of Patrick Bellerose
Reference-www.tvanouvelles.ca