Trudeau Calls Quebec Premier a Liar Over Mass Immigration

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has accused Quebec’s premier of lying and saying this he has said he “knows aren’t true” about mass immigration.

His statement comes after Premier François Legault requested the Bloc Québécois to back the Conservatives’ non-confidence motion to overthrow Trudeau’s government, claiming that Trudeau has done nothing to halt mass immigration into Quebec.

“It is a shame to hear the (premier) of Quebec sharing things and declarations on immigration that he simply knows are not true,” Trudeau said in Montreal with French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday.

“We have worked together constructively, or we have certainly worked with members of his team constructively, over the past many, many months to take action in response to the challenges around immigration in Quebec.”

Despite the Bloc’s refusal to vote against Trudeau in the no-confidence vote, Legault has proposed making immigration a ballot-box question in the next federal election. He has asked all parties to promise to reducing the number of non-permanent residents in his province by half.

Trudeau stated on Thursday that his government has worked to limit the number of newcomers by closing a popular asylum seeker pathway, reimposing a visa requirement on visiting Mexican nationals, and limiting the number of new temporary workers and international students who arrive in the country.

Trudeau then shifted the burden to the provinces, claiming that while he has moved, his provincial counterparts have yet to submit a plan for reducing the temporary workers under provincial authority.

Premier Legault stated that in the last two years, the number of temporary immigrants in Quebec under Trudeau’s immigration policy has doubled to 600,000 from 300,000, putting a strain on housing, schools, and public services.

Last month, Quebec’s premier placed a six-month moratorium on some low-wage temporary foreign worker applications in Montreal, but recognised that the move would only cut the number by around 3,500.

He has frequently urged Trudeau to lower the number of non-permanent residents subject to federal control from approximately 420,000 to 210,000, as well as to delegate additional immigration authorities to Quebec.

Legault was also in Montreal on Thursday for his own meeting with Macron, but he did not respond to reporters’ questions as he left.

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