Quebec premier praises Poilievre over foreign worker policy

Quebec Premier François Legault praised Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre for his plan to give Quebec the power to pick temporary foreign workers from a federal program. Legault said he's hoping other federal leaders, including Prime Minister Mark Carney, will follow Poilievre’s lead.

“Bravo for what he announced last night. I hope the other federal leaders will do the same now,” Legault said Thursday, in French, during a press conference where he outlined his demands for the federal elections. His number-one request is to cut the number of temporary immigrants under federal responsibility in Quebec by half, including asylum seekers and temporary foreign workers from a federal program.

Legault said he wants this number reduced from 400,000 to 200,000 in the next three years to ease pressure on public services in Quebec, which are all crumbling. When asked how to get them to leave Quebec, Legault said it’s up to Ottawa to decide and avoided suggesting forced relocation of asylum seekers, which he had proposed last fall.

During a visit to Quebec City on Wednesday, Poilievre promised to transfer the selection of more than 90 percent of temporary foreign workers from the Federal International Mobility Program to Quebec. Legault called this “quite a win for Quebec” and praised Poilievre for fulfilling the long-standing request. “It’s something we’ve been asking for a long time,” Legault said, according to La Presse.

Legault also believes this could help reverse the decline of the French language in Quebec, and is urging other federal leaders, including Carney, to follow Poilievre’s approach. “We haven’t yet seen all of the proposals from the Liberal Party of Canada. It’s a bit early to answer your question,” Legault said when asked about the Liberals' plan.

Other demands from Legault include protecting key sectors of Quebec’s economy in trade negotiations with the US, such as agriculture, aerospace, and culture. He said he wants Quebec to have a seat at the negotiation table and is calling for a “very ambitious” infrastructure investment plan over the next decade.

Legault also wants limits on federal spending in Quebec's jurisdiction and the right to opt-out of federal programs with full financial compensation. “We could make a long grocery list. I’d like them to increase health transfers. We’ve made choices to target well and get results,” Legault said.