THE STEP | François Legault retracted Wednesday evening after pleading that it is to protect the values of Quebecers, who “do not like extremists”, nor “violence” that it is important to maintain immigration thresholds at the level current, words immediately denounced by his opponents.
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“Immigration is an asset for Quebec. Integration will always be a challenge for a French-speaking nation in North America. I didn’t want to associate immigration with violence. I’m sorry if my comments caused confusion. My will is to unite,” said the head of the CAQ on Twitter, at the start of the evening.
Earlier in the afternoon, when he had just visited a school in Victoriaville, François Legault once again maintained that the levels of integration that Justin Trudeau wishes to impose in the various Canadian provinces pose a “great challenge of integration”.
“And obviously, it is much larger in Quebec because of the language,” said Mr. Legault, who wants to keep the maximum number of newcomers at 50,000 per year during a next mandate, if he form the next government.
“A way of living”
But it is by adding the argument of Quebec values that the leader of the Coalition avenir Québec has drawn the wrath of his opponents.
“We have talked a lot about secularism in recent years. This is one of the values too. The respect. (…) There is a way of life with us and we want to keep it”, he insisted, reusing a formula often borrowed during the debate on secularism: “because that’s how we live in Quebec”.
“Quebecers are peaceful, explained Mr. Legault. They don’t like chicanery, they don’t like extremists, they don’t like violence. So we have to make sure that we keep it as it is now.
All in all, this issue “is not unique to Quebec,” considers the head of the CAQ. “I look at what happened in Germany, what happened in many other countries. It always remains a challenge, the integration of newcomers.
A dangerous amalgam, says the PLQ
Quickly, the liberal leader Dominique Anglade criticized François Legault for making “a dangerous amalgam” between violence and immigration.
She even added it, in a video, calling her remarks “unworthy”, while accusing her of continually seeking to divide.
“This is not the first time that Mr. Legault has used terms that greatly divide Quebecers between them,” reacted in turn the Conservative leader Éric Duhaime.
“I hope he just misspoke. All Quebecers actually want us to better integrate our immigrants,” said Mr. Duhaime, deeming the comments of the outgoing Prime Minister “unfortunate”.
Dangerous skid
At Québec solidaire, Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois did not hesitate to speak of a “slippage” on the part of the outgoing Prime Minister, who delivered the substance of his thought, according to him.
In general, François Legault “says what he thinks”, recalled the supportive spokesperson, denouncing this type of “dangerous” speech, which “deteriorates the social climate”.
Preferring to continue to lead a “constructive and responsible” campaign, the leader of the Parti Québécois Paul St-Pierre Plamondon preferred to refrain from qualifying the “fuzzy” remarks of the CAQ leader.
– With the collaboration of Nicolas Lachance, Gabriel Côté, Annabelle Blais and Patrick Bellerose