Quebec Prime Minister François Legault said he praised conservative leader Pierre Polyeive for his stance to allow more control over immigrants, but unlike the 2021 election, he stopped supporting Tory leaders for the election.
Legault said at a press conference on March 27th that his two priorities were “identity” and “prosperity,” and that his biggest concern revolves around immigration and the future of French.
Quebec leaders said the issue is not in principle immigrants and that it is focusing on a large number of newcomers in recent years rather than “always welcomed” by the Quebecaers. He said Ottawa has “lost control” as the state saw the number of temporary immigrants increase from 200,000 to 400,000.
Legault said Quebec needs to oversee temporary workers coming to the province through the international mobility program.
Legault said the Poilievre pledge is “a big move for the better” and hopes other federal leaders will follow.
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Asked by a reporter who believes it would be better to lead the country among federal candidates, Legault paid tribute to Polyevell’s attitude towards immigration, saying it was a big victory for Quebec.
Legault said protecting French is a priority, but he declined to comment on Kearney’s French skills.
Carney recently faced criticism from Poilliebre and Brock Quebecoa leader Yes François Blanchet for not agreeing to take part in a second French debate on Quebec’s TV station TVA.
‘prosperity’
Legault said his second priority in the federal elections is “prosperity” and hopes to help Ottawa protect Quebec’s major economic sector. The Prime Minister also called for protection of supply management that controls the production of dairy products, eggs and poultry, and for greater investment in infrastructure and respect for state jurisdiction.
On the issue of major projects, Legault said Ottawa should stop conducting its own environmental impact research and respect the work done by the state.
Reducing deficits has become a key theme in recent weeks, with Canadian leaders looking inwards to boost the economy and move away from the US.
Other prime ministers have made such requests, with Carney and PolyAble also pledging to speed up approval of major projects.
Poilievre has pledged to create pre-filled zones to develop such projects, and said it will issue a permit within six months to develop a critical mineral-rich area called the “Ring of Fire” of Northern Ontario.
Poilievre also committed to attacking Bill C-69, which created a federal impact assessment process. Carney will maintain that, but said the impact assessment agency must complete a review of projects serving the national interest within two years, rather than the current five years.
