Quebec Minister of the Economy opposes the increase in the number of migrants

Last year, 50,280 people received permanent residency status from the authorities of Quebec. 80.3% of these people settled in Montreal, and another 13.7% in four major cities of the province.

The cities of Gatineau, Quebec City, Sherbrooke, Trois-Rivières have accepted new permanent residents, but smaller communities are still short of labor. The Ministry of Immigration, Francization and Integration wants new residents of the province to settle in remote areas and published on May 9 an action plan on how to achieve this.

Quebec business associations want parties agreeing to increase the annual migration quota to 80,000 people to come to power in the provincial elections to be held in October. But Quebec Economy Minister Pierre Fitzgibbon opposed the initiative Friday at an event organized by the Montreal Chamber of Commerce.

There are about 200,000 young people who neither work nor study in Quebec. Another 180,000 older people are also out of work. Employable retirees can also fill vacancies — according to the minister, at least 80,000 would return to work if offered decent conditions.

The Quebec government has allocated large sums for the retraining of professionals needed by the province, and the minister believes that within six months, the problem of staff shortages will be solved. That's why he's only willing to approve increased quotas for temporary residents, but not for permanent residents.