Legislative in Quebec: the identity question at the heart of the campaign

Quebec Prime Minister Francois Legault failed to impose the themes of education and purchasing power in the campaign.

PA - Jacques Boissinot

Text by: Pascale Guéricolas

2 mins

On Monday, October 3, Quebecers elect their next government and their deputies.

At the start of the election campaign, the outgoing Prime Minister announced that he wanted to talk about education and purchasing power.

Yet another theme, that of immigration, took center stage.

The lack of manpower pushes a large part of the entrepreneurs to demand the arrival of foreigners to fill jobs.

At the same time, some Quebecers are concerned that the number of Francophones is gradually decreasing.

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With our correspondent in Montreal,

The issue of the strength of French in a province whose demographic weight is declining within Canada is an essential subject of discussion.

Part of the electorate takes a dim view of the arrival of too many immigrants who could destabilize an already fragile balance.

The Avenir Québec coalition, the majority party that should form the next government, supports this position.

Its leader, the outgoing Prime Minister, François Legault, does not hide his concern about a Canadian immigration model that he considers too open.

Without posing as a far-right nationalist, this centrist rather defends the idea of ​​a Quebec proud of its culture and its traditions.

His government has also passed a law that prohibits public sector employees from wearing visible religious symbols. 

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How do Quebecers receive this message?

A good number of people who live far from major urban centres, or older people, share this point of view.

Largely because newcomers choose to live in Montreal, and some Quebecers no longer recognize themselves in neighborhoods where the population is very diverse.

What complicates things is that a political party, the Liberal Party, which has always fought against the independence of Quebec, has made itself the spokesperson for minorities born elsewhere.

Insidiously, this creates a barrier between a majority and French-speaking “we”, and the others, supposed to live in isolation, not adapting to Quebec culture. 

See the dream of an independent Quebec vanish

According to statistics, 8 out of 10 immigrants can carry on a conversation in French.

Moreover, the aging of the active population makes immigration one of the possible solutions to make up for the chronic lack of employees.

The danger is perhaps to consider these new arrivals only from an economic point of view, without ensuring their integration.

Immigration also raises a political issue.

Historically, the vast majority of immigrants opposed Quebec's plan for independence or greater autonomy.

Welcoming more foreigners therefore runs the risk of seeing the dream of an independent Quebec vanish. 

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