Quebec regions need more immigrants to survive, FQM says

Quebec’s regions need more immigrants, or they risk “demographic decline” and “impoverishment,” says the Fédération québécoise des municipalités (FQM).

FQM president Jacques Demers, who is also mayor of Sainte-Catherine-de-Hatley and prefect of the Memphrémagog Regional County Municipality, published an open letter Thursday afternoon in La Presse.

He called on the Legault government and the “new generation of political leaders” to show “real leadership in the face of today’s demographic challenge.”

Demers warned against “locking ourselves into policies (…) based on mistrust and resentment.”

“The reality of demographic decline and impoverishment (…) will not disappear simply because today’s leaders choose to ignore it,” he wrote.

“Our government is locked into a sterile policy that is clearly not based on facts,” he added.

According to the Institut de la statistique du Québec, most regions will experience decline without sustained immigration. Twelve of Quebec’s 17 regions currently have a “negative natural growth rate.”

This will have “painful impacts, (…) starting with our businesses, public services, and social fabric,” Demers said, calling for a “strict change in direction.”

In an interview, he criticized the Legault government’s elimination of the expedited Quebec Experience Program (PEQ), which allowed immigrants to work in the province more quickly.

“Let’s stop putting these families at risk! he said. These are professionals. (…) Companies have invested significant amounts to bring them here.

“They are part of our communities, their children go to school, and now we are putting them at risk of leaving. (…) The minister does not understand how deeply this will affect our communities.

“Why try to fix something that isn’t broken?”

Like many others, the FQM is calling for the PEQ to be reinstated or, at the very least, a “grandfather clause” for those already in Quebec, but the government has rejected these proposals.

The FQM has requested a meeting with Immigration Minister Jean-François Roberge and plans to increase pressure on members of the National Assembly in the coming days.

In his letter, Demers wrote firmly that “the only solution for Quebec’s future lies in welcoming citizens from around the world.”

“Now more than ever, this needs to become a true priority, including through the implementation of francization and housing programs,” he said.

“In the new geopolitical context that is emerging, this issue must become the top priority,” he added.

–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews