Incumbent premier declared Boulet won’t keep immigration portfolio after he said "80 per cent of immigrants go to Montreal, do not work, do not speak French or do not adhere to the values of Quebec society.”
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Legault tours ventilation company
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‘You’re saying things that are false’ – Legault loses patience in interview about arsenic emission
Boulet apologizes again, won’t say what Legault told him about possible cabinet post
Jean Boulet says he’s very sorry and he understands why he won’t remain immigration minister.
But he wouldn’t say whether François Legault told him he could get a different portfolio if the Coalition Avenir Québec government wins a second mandate.
In an interview on 98.5 radio this morning, Boulet, a CAQ candidate in Trois-Rivières and the current immigration and labour minister, apologized again for comments that derailed the CAQ campaign on Wednesday.
In a radio debate that occurred a week early but was not widely reported at the time, Boulet said: “80 per cent of immigrants go to Montreal, do not work, do not speak French or do not adhere to the values of Quebec society.”
“I hurt immigrants in Quebec and from the bottom of my heart, I’m sorry for that.”
He added: “It doesn’t reflect my thinking, my actions nor what I did as minister.”
Boulet said he uttered the words in the heat of a debate in which “time was extremely limited.”
“It’s a statement made in a few seconds in a 90-minute debate and it’s not at all a reflection of what I do and what I think.”
Host Paul Arcand asked Boulet repeatedly why he said it in the first place, but Boulet did not answer directly.
He said what he wanted to say was “that we have to improve regionalization and that’s what” he has done as minister.
“What I should have said was that there are a certain number (of immigrants) who don’t speak French, a certain number who don’t work and a certain number who may not adhere to Quebec values.”
He added: “Immigration is an asset for Quebec. We are an extremely open society. I have visited all of Quebec’s regions and we want to welcome them, we need them and they contribute not only to economic vitality but (they help) make Quebec an inclusive and humane society.”
Boulet was asked about critics who say he was trying to court anti-immigrant voters.
“Absolutely not,” he responded. “Everyone who knows me knows that I’m an extremely open person.”
Yesterday, François Legault, the CAQ leader and incumbent premier, told reporters that Boulet had “disqualified himself” as immigration minister and would lose the portfolio should the party win re-election.
Boulet said he spoke to Legault yesterday.
“I understand the decision he took to disqualify me as immigration minister,” Boulet said. “I made one statement that was unacceptable.”
Did Legault tell him he would not hold any portfolio in a second CAQ mandate?
Boulet did not answer, noting the conversation was “personal and private.” He added that he and Legault “remain on excellent terms.”
He said he has no intention of quitting politics.
“No, because I love politics, I do politics in a sincere, authentic and human manner. And I work with integrity and rigour. And people can judge. It’s not a few seconds that reflect an entire professional and political career.”
A labour lawyer, Boulet was first elected in 2018.
It’s not the first time Boulet has stirred controversy with a statement about immigration.
In a December 2021 tweet, Boulet implied asylum seekers were bringing COVID-19 into the province.
At the time, he was worried about the arrival of refugees via Roxham Road in the midst of a pandemic and asked the federal government to close this route of entry into the country.
Conservatives lead in one Beauce riding and are in tight race with CAQ in another, poll suggests
The Beauce region south of Quebec City is one of the areas where the Quebec Conservatives hope to make inroads on Oct. 3.
A new poll, by Segma Recherche, suggests the party led by Éric Duhaime is leading in one of the ridings (Beauce-Nord) and in a tight race in another (Beauce-Sud) with the Coalition Avenir Québec, led by François Legault.
The CAQ won both ridings in 2018.
The poll was conducted for Le Soleil and FM93.
Opinion: By bashing immigrants, CAQ bites the hand that feeds Quebec
“Quebec badly needs the very immigrants the party leading in the polls is disparaging and depicting as a problem.
“The blatant politicization and polarization of this sensitive issue only undermine prosperity, plays Quebecers for fools and harms the social fabric François Legault pledges to be so concerned about.”
Read Allison Hanes’ latest column.
Vote No to ‘division and exclusion,’ Liberal candidate says in stark attack on Legault, Boulet
Monsef Derraji, a Liberal candidate and the incumbent MNA for Nelligan on the West Island, has posted a stark attack ad on social media.
“From the start, François Legault has held a discourse based on contempt for immigrants,” Derraji, who was born in Morocco, said on Twitter. “His politics flirt with division.”
Depuis le début, François Legault tiens un discours basé sur le mépris des immigrants.
Sa politique flirte avec la division.Le réélire c'est l'encourager dans sa dérive.
Le 3 octobre il faut lui dire un NON claire et net.#qc2022 #polqc pic.twitter.com/iwKiDdrFFv
— Monsef Derraji (@monsefderraji) September 28, 2022
‘Don’t let the premier’s remarks shake your Quebec identity,’ QS candidate tells immigrants
Ruba Ghazal, a Québec solidaire candidate and the incumbent MNA in Mercier in Montreal’s Plateau borough, has posted a video attacking François Legault and Jean Boulet over their controversial statements about immigrants.
«Je veux m’adresser aux jeunes qui arrivent ici et qui se sentent attaqués par les propos de François Legault. Si vous vous sentez Québécois, vous l’êtes. Ne laissez pas les propos du premier ministre ébranler votre identité québécoise.» — @RubaGhazalQS#PolQc #Qc2022 pic.twitter.com/BgMD9AvjZc
— Québec solidaire (@QuebecSolidaire) September 28, 2022
CAQ warns of scam text messages
The Coalition Avenir Québec is indeed offering to deliver money to Quebecers if the party is re-elected.
But it’s not sending out text messages.
The party has issued a warning to Quebecers, saying scammers are using its name in a phishing campaign.
🚨Un message texte frauduleux circule présentement disant qu’un montant de 600,00 $ vous a été envoyé de notre part. Il s’agit d’une fraude.
Veuillez ne pas cliquer sur le lien‼ pic.twitter.com/G4NG4CsIKk
— Coalition Avenir Québec (@coalitionavenir) September 28, 2022
Rouyn-Noranda copper smelter is safer than people think, Legault says
François Legault is downplaying potential health hazards caused by arsenic emissions at the Horne copper Smelter in Rouyn-Noranda in northwest Quebec.
One day before his election campaign caravan pulls into the region, Legault reacted to an open letter published by three local doctors who questioned the remarks Legault made about the foundry Sunday when he appeared on the Radio-Canada talk show Tout le monde en parle.
Read our full story, by Philip Authier.
Quebec should target Aboriginal reserves in fighting illegal guns trade: Duhaime
Conservative Leader Éric Duhaime says authorities need to crack down on the proliferation of illegal arms, suggesting that they raid Aboriginal reserves to do so.
Read our full story, by Jason Magder.
Québec solidaire would increase welfare payments and hike minimum wage
A Québec solidaire government would fight poverty by raising welfare payments by 45 per cent, increasing the minimum wage from $14.25 to $18 an hour, and temporarily subsidizing small businesses and community groups to help them adjust to higher payroll costs, according to that party’s candidate for premier.
Read our full story, by Michelle Lalonde.
What are the five major parties taking part in Quebec’s provincial election?
Here’s a look at the five parties vying to form Quebec’s next government.
Read our full story.
Election Guide: What you need to know about the campaign and voting
How do you check if you’re on the electoral list? Are you allowed to vote? When can ballots be cast?
Read our full story.
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