"If you take no for an answer, you don't go forward, so we don't take no for an answer."
Quebec does not consider the door closed in Ottawa over the province’s demands for more power over immigration, the minister responsible for Canadian relations, Sonia LeBel, said Thursday.
But united for the first time since Monday’s election, members of the Coalition Avenir Québec caucus — which now includes 90 MNAs — also conceded the party has work to do rebuilding relations with immigrants.
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“We’ll keep going,” LeBel told reporters arriving at a Brossard hotel for the CAQ’s meeting. “If you take no for an answer, you don’t go forward, so we don’t take no for an answer.
“We’re going to keep discussing.”
LeBel’s comments followed those of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and of his Quebec lieutenant, Pablo Rodriguez, on Wednesday. Both said that despite the province’s demands for more power to protect French, they believe Quebec already has all the powers it needs.
Premier François Legault made obtaining additional immigration powers, specifically over temporary workers and the family reunification program, a key part of his election campaign.
Twenty-six per cent of new arrivals fall into the category of family reunification, which Ottawa controls. That represents about 10,600 new arrivals a year. Quebec wants a bigger say because about half of those immigrants don’t speak French.
Trudeau has said several times that Ottawa has no intention of ceding the power to Quebec, but Quebec persists. At one point during the campaign, Legault floated the idea of a referendum on immigration to raise the pressure on the federal government.
Now, with 41 per cent of the vote and 90 seats, the government believes its bargaining hand is even stronger.
“For us, the door is not closed on discussions,” said LeBel. “I take what they said as an opening to continue. We will pursue the discussions. We don’t consider this is over.
“We are starting a new mandate, and for us it is a priority to get more powers over immigration. We are convinced we need more to be able to ensure a balance between the shortage of labour and the flourishing of French.
“I heard from Mr. Trudeau a recognition that Quebec should have the necessary tools to function.”
At one point, Legault seemed to link immigration with violence. He later apologized.
While most of the newly elected MNAs arriving for the caucus were wary of commenting on current events, some did.
“We will re-establish things,” said Chantal Rouleau, one of only two CAQ MNAs elected on the island of Montreal.
Legault did not meet the media Thursday, but did address his caucus before reporters were asked to leave the room.
“Yes, it’s a clear mandate,” Legault told his troops, “but it means we have big responsibilities.”
Legault also told the caucus that after a gruelling 36-day campaign, he is suffering from a cold. He said he had himself tested for COVID-19 three times and the results were negative.
pauthier@postmedia.com
twitter.com/philipauthier
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