Politically, the issues are tangled, and our leaders have to juggle a whole set of principles, each as fundamental as the next: integration capacity, the primacy of the French language, social cohesion, alignment of our shared values, the economic needs of demographic groups. Enough to lose your bearings.
In the regions, several organizations have put forward concrete, constructive proposals for a more predictable immigration policy, better adapted to local realities. In Saguenay, there is a consensus, much to my satisfaction.
Immigration, both temporary and permanent, is an indispensable lever for our economic and social vitality — but not at any price. Two elements of success keep coming back as essential: support for building affordable housing, and additional means to make integration and retention easier.
A moratorium, fine, for as long as it takes to consult. But once we have thought it through, let us act immediately, and let everyone take their share of responsibility. Families are anxious about their future; companies are considering shutting down shifts and turning down business opportunities. So many crises that can weaken our social and economic fabric.
A collective project of this kind rests on everyone's shoulders. Levels of government, businesses, economic and social organizations, citizens and newcomers. The chain will never be stronger than its weakest link.
Like it or not, the employer is an unavoidable vector of influence in the welcoming process, but they cannot do everything alone. I regularly hear: “you're an entrepreneur, build housing for your immigrants!” If only it were that simple…
Housing is the business of real estate developers, a specialized expertise that requires a tax and legal environment over which governments hold the levers; it is up to them to act.
The welcoming employer, for their part, recruits at considerable cost and ensures an effective climate of welcome. A mandate far too often underestimated by those most concerned.
People think it is enough to pay an international recruitment agency and hand the welcome mandate to an HR coordinator — what a mistake!
In Saguenay we have the privilege of economic immigration accounting for more than 70% of newcomers. That is fortunate, since these people arrive in favourable circumstances. Skills already recognized by the employer, and sufficient funds to meet their needs from the moment they arrive. A valuable advantage for integration and inclusion. But believing everything is settled without any effort from the host society would show a worrying naïveté.
The past decade has convinced me of how much attention we should pay to teaching our “particularities”. Quebec French is the most striking example. We hire requiring French and forget the “Quebec” factor. A painful lesson, believe me!
Let us give ourselves the means to match our ambitions, and let everyone put their shoulder to the wheel. Let us stop thinking it is someone else's business. After all, we are building the Quebec of tomorrow.
