Quebec’s chambers of commerce want to ‘de-politicize’ immigration


The head of the FCCQ wants an end to the war of numbers and the debate over how many immigrants Quebec needs in the context of the labor shortage.

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The Fédération des chambres de commerce du Québec is asking that the issue of immigration be “de-politicized” and a clear definition established of the province’s capacity to accept new arrivals.

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FCCQ president Charles Milliard said he wants an end to the war of numbers surrounding the issue as well as the debate over how many immigrants Quebec needs in the context of the labor shortage.

Last week the FCCQ joined other business groups in calling for higher immigration levels, as many as 80,000 or 90,000 a year — levels that exceed by 30,000 to 40,000 those established by the Legault government.

Milliard told Presse Canadienne he first wants a regional breakdown of Quebec’s capacity to take in immigrants, with clear parameters, including the availability of public services such as daycare spots, family doctors, recreational infrastructure and public transit.

With those numbers in hand, it will be possible to objectively calculate Quebec’s capacity to accept more immigrants, he said.

The FCCQ said it deplores that any debate on the issue has been pushed to next year, after the provincial election.


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