Achi news desk-
As Quebec and Canada continue to go back and forth over immigration powers, one employer group in Quebec says the problem has more to do with politics than immigration.
The Conseil du patronat du Québec, which represents the interests of employers in the province, says governments need to stop playing politics with this issue and make decisions based on numbers and market needs.
With an aging population on the rise and over 150,000 job vacancies across the state, the organization says temporary immigration is needed to fill those spots.
This comes after the Premier of Quebec, François Legault, threatened the idea of holding a “referendum” on immigration if the federal government does not act quickly to control the growing number of temporary immigrants. Legault claims that the number of immigrants is putting a strain on Quebec’s health care, education and housing systems.
But Melissa Claisse from the Welcome Collective says the problem is not temporary immigration, rather the government’s lack of political will to improve the system, including access to employment support.
“We are very alarmed by the provincial government’s insistence on scapegoating immigrants for problems that have existed for a long time, decades in some cases,” said Claisse.
Adding, “We would love to see funding for refugee claimants to get help finding a job, to connect employers who really need workers with a workforce who are desperately looking for jobs.”
On Monday, newcomer Henri Libondelo was outside the Services Québec office in Montreal, waiting to apply for a work permit.
Libondelo, who arrived four months ago from the Republic of Congo, says that some days, the line outside the office wraps around the building.
“The office opens at 8:30 am, but people sometimes arrive here at six in the morning to stand in the same line, the line gets very long,” said Libondelo.
Libondelo believes that it is not the number of newcomers that is important, but rather that it is a matter of organization.
“For the moment, the difficulty I have is looking for a job. Finding a job has been difficult since I got here,” said Libondelo.
“It is really dangerous for refugees to have to face this kind of rhetoric from our elected officials,” said Claisse.
-With files from The Canadian Press
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Quebec postal employers’ group urges governments to base immigration on labor needs, not politics – CityNews Montreal appeared first on Canada News Media.
