Quebec will need more immigrants in the future, says Liberal leader

Quebec Liberal Party interim Leader Marc Tanguay speaks at a news conference as the fall session comes to an end, Friday, December 8, 2023 at the legislature in Quebec City. Quebec Liberal House Leader Monsef Derraji, left, looks on. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jacques Boissinot

While Liberal leader Marc Tanguay acknowledges that immigrants are putting pressure on social services, he said at the same time, Quebec will have no choice but to take on more of them in the coming years to make up for the labour shortage.

"We won't have a choice for our economy," he said in a press briefing Wednesday at his party's pre-sessional caucus in Thetford Mines.

Citing figures from the Labour Market Partners Commission, the interim Liberal leader said, "It's clear that we need 1.6 million additional workers over the next few years. We need to work on that."

"We're the party of the economy. We sit down with the economic players. How many do you need? In which region? What about schools? What about health care? Childcare? Housing?" added Tanguay.

There are currently more than half a million temporary immigrants in Quebec. The Liberal leader said that we must first respond to their needs.

"Today, we have to work on the 500,000 who are in Quebec, and make sure we meet their needs," he explained.

The Liberal leader said that the problems of immigrant integration are the Legault government's fault.

- This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Jan. 24, 2024.