Quebec is implementing a six-month freeze on the intake of new temporary foreign workers for low-wage jobs in Montreal starting in September, the province’s premier said Tuesday.
François Legault’s announcement comes as his government has been calling for a “significant and rapid” reduction in the number of temporary immigrants in Quebec. The total number across the province has doubled to 600,000 from 300,000 in just two years, he said.
Quebec is welcoming to newcomers, Legault said, but has “clearly surpassed its capacity of integration.”
He argues current immigration levels put the future of the French language “at risk,” especially in Montreal. Legault said the city is home to about 12,000 temporary foreign workers.
“It puts an enormous pressure on public services,” Legault said, referring to education, health and housing in particular.
The temporary suspension will also apply to application renewals by current temporary foreign workers in the city, provincial officials said.
“There will be exceptions,” Legault said. “Obviously we need teachers, we need nurses, so there will be exclusions.”
The construction and food processing sectors will be exempt from the cap. The freeze won’t apply to workers whose salary is higher than $57,000, the median salary in Quebec.
Federal Employment Minister Randy Boissonnault said he approved the province’s proposal to freeze applications in Montreal for a short period.
“Our government will closely monitor this policy change as it makes its own determinations about future changes to the TFWP,” he said in a statement posted on social media.
Earlier this month, a damning United Nations report described Canada’s temporary foreign worker program as a “breeding ground” for modern slavery because it creates a power imbalance preventing employees from exercising their rights. In the days that followed, Federal Immigration Minister Marc Miller said the program isn’t fatally flawed, but is in “need of a reform.”
Meanwhile, Legault said Tuesday’s announcement is just a “first step” towards reducing the total number of temporary immigrants. The premier said that two-thirds of Quebec’s non-permanent residents fall under federal jurisdiction, and the province is asking Ottawa to halve their numbers, from 420,000 to 210,000.
Legault also announced that his government plans to table a bill in the fall to cap the number of foreign students in certain educational institutions.
While Legault was tight-lipped on details, a source with Quebec’s higher education ministry told Global News the bill won’t specifically target English-language universities.
Business groups worried about ‘concerning’ freeze
Quebec’s plan to limit temporary foreign workers was met with worries from business groups.
The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) described the province’s decision as “concerning.”
“Today’s announcement will put pressure on many businesses struggling with labour shortages,” CFIB president Dan Kelly said in a statement.
The Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal also opposed any measure specifically targeting businesses on the Island of Montreal.
“The businesses most affected will be small businesses already struggling with liquidity, financing, procurement, recruitment and workforce retention challenges in a still uncertain economic context,” president Michel Leblanc said in a statement.
— with files from Global’s Franca Mignacca, The Canadian Press and Reuters