Close Reading

I was the lawyer invited to this interview, and after reading some comments celebrating the end of the PEQ, I feel the need to clarify a few things. The people affected by this are not “abusing the system.” this was the program for people that came here legally and are working. To qualify for the PEQ, they had to be working full time, they pay taxes, they speak the language. They’re fixing our roads, keeping hospitals running, welding, machining, doing the jobs most of us take for granted every single day. The hard truth is that Canadians have stopped having enough children, and we simply don’t have enough young people with the skills to fill these roles. Yes, we absolutely should invest more in education and trade programs for our youth — my employer clients are begging young people to become mechanics, welders, skilled workers, often in the regions. Most don’t take those jobs, and even when they do, training takes two to three years. Our industries need people now, or parts of the economy will stall, and that affects all of us as Quebecers and Canadians. These workers are not asking for charity. They are already on the front lines keeping key sectors alive. Ending programs like the PEQ doesn’t punish “illegals” or “free riders”; it punishes people who are already integrated, working, and contributing to the society we all share. Also, all they are asking is for the new rules to not be applied to them retroactively, only for those coming new into the country, otherwise it is rug pulling those already here that played by the rules, and when the government does it to us we don't like, on principle of fairness, whatever you think of the numbers, too high too low, doesn't matters, it is the least we can all get behind as humans.

here to contribute to quebec🚫 Chant quoran in front of churches and pray in streets ✅️ Take your taqiya with you.

Lucky for Quebec, Alberta contributes 100's of billions of dollars to the confederation, and coincidently Quebec has received 100's of billions of dollars. Not so lucky for taxpayers of Alberta though, and likely without those massive subsidies, Quebec's crime rate, unemployment rate, and cost of living would be quite different than those stated.

There are now quite a few news stories in Canada of immigrants leaving the country - some back home and others to the USA and other places. Many just get a Canadian passport and then leave. There are public health care and pensions, so it can be an asset and also a convenient travel document to have. A lot of Canadian university graduates have a very hard time finding work in their fields and a lot of them look to the US for a better future. Both immigration and unemployment in Canada are much higher that in the US - so more people are chasing fewer jobs that often pay less and are taxed more than in the USA. Opportunities are generally a lot fewer in Canada than the US, and the business environment is not as favourable, and taxes significantly higher. You would be getting some of the entrepreneurs from Canada moving to the US for more favourable conditions as well to launch a business and also now a lot more rich investor types, so-called high net worth individuals wanting to relocate, because they just raised the capital gains tax in Canada. Capital gains is also triggered on inheritance in Canada with a deemed sale of property and assets, so rich people would prefer the American system and want to be residents there for tax purposes and have their assets grow in value in the US compared to Canada. There are very large numbers of foreign students and other categories of immigrants which may have as their goal going to the US after getting a temporary visa to Canada which is easy to get - maybe something like half a million to a million people in those categories depending on the year, plus around another half million regular immigrants and refugees now. The Trudeau administration has increased immigration to record numbers. It has been steadily going up over the years for several decades since 1990. Because of family re-unification it can have a snowball effect and could significantly exceed 1 million per year. A lot of the sending countries have much larger populations than Canada, so there are a lot more that can be potentially sent to Canada in the future. About 1/4 of the population of Canada has been added in the past few decades. Add to that visitors and temporary visas - that is a lot of people potentially moving to the US. Before the 1990s Canadians visiting the US were not required to have a passport and a drivers' license or birth certificate was adequate. Now a passport is required. It is impossible to effectively control the long Canada-US border, so there could be some unified policies in that area agreed on between Canada and the USA on immigration and refugees. Canada currently has a very open immigration policy with the government actively seeking out more immigration beyond its current processing capacity and trying to take rejected immigrants from other countries. The Canadian government, especially in recent years under Trudeau is immigration hungry. It might be the only country in the world doing that. What some news reports are now saying is that some immigrants are actually leaving, since they find it so difficult in Canada and some are worse off than they were in the countries they came from, which were considered to be less developed than Canada. \nWashington currently has more immigration controls and administrative competencies than Ottawa, so US pressure and influence is a faster way to get reforms into the system than waiting for local politicians to do anything, which is unlikely. Canada is seen by some as a backdoor into the US. Biden's immigration policies could be seen as very conservative in Canada compared to Trudeau's. It used to be in the news about how refugees were trying to get to Canada and walking across the border in Quebec and out west from the US earlier, but now there are more news stories of immigrants leaving Canada trying to go the other way, probably due to high costs and unemployment because the government took in more people than it could absorb into the economy. They have the idea that immigration drives GDP growth so that they can borrow and spend more, expand the civil service, etc. without making any cutbacks or efficiencies, supposedly without the Debt to GDP ratio getting worse, just by bringing in more people as if that would drive the economy. A lot depends on who you bring in as well. Are they going to go on welfare, are they going to increase crime, will they somehow contribute to society, are they a net tax benefit or cost in terms of government services, will they invest money, will they start a business and create jobs for others ? Those issues do not factor into government decision making in Canada for the most part. Ontario Premier Doug Ford did say there were too many foreign students. It is bad planning not to consider those factors since there are other costs that grow with those policies as well, and infrastructure has to be expanded. I think that the real immigration numbers to Canada are not transparent or made public, nor are the costs involved, if anyone even knows what they are. Nor is the impact on crime. You can guess from what the reports are in other countries. The Fraser Institute has made some estimates on the net costs of immigration to the government budget a few years ago, which were very high and which by now have increased - the cost equivalent of several new aircraft carriers each year. They are big numbers which are not publicized, but it amounts to the fact that immigration is subsidized by the taxpayers in Canada and it is not paying for our pensions as an ageing society as has been claimed. There is less money for education, health care and pensions per person, and those social benefits will probably have to be reduced over time. Social programs can only be delivered to the extent that the government has money. The bigger social system a county has, the more such immigration policies are going to cost. Trudeau has been expanding various social programs as well, so higher taxes and debt are likely with that approach. Then more productive people and companies will want to leave Canada and go to the US. Probably the government does not know what the actual numbers and costs are and doesn't actively keep track of that information beyond what is required. Probably nobody knows what the true immigration figures and their associated costs are in Canada, and hardly anyone has even studied those issues. If they can just walk across the US border and get papers so easily making an asylum claim, it is not surprising, since it would take them longer to get a regular visa and work permit if they did it legally. You could call that a loophole in the US immigration system which is being exploited. The US is better governed in general and has a better system in many ways, but I am not sure if it is the same on that. People have arrived on boats and have not been sent back. At least in the US you have more open information about those issues. In Canada it is hard to find out anything about it. Deportations from Canada are very few. \nOn other issues in Canada when voting in federal elections you have to show a government issued photo ID like a drivers' license or passport to vote and bring a card that was mailed out to eligible voters that gets updated addresses when a person files their taxes. I have never heard of mail-in ballots in Canada, but there are remote areas of the country in the far north who may have special system for voting. It is easier to get a Canadian citizenship than US and many more citizenships are handed out in Canada each year in proportion to the population than in the US. Canadian might be one of the easiest citizenships to get in the world. The official line now is that it is a country of immigrants. Based on current trends, will very little opposition to it in the parliament and most MPs supporting it, future immigration to Canada could increase to several million per year because of the rapid growth of population in the world, and the momentum already growing of immigration to Canada, so it may change significantly in the future. Historically around the world you can see many examples that country names, borders, flags and languages change over time with population changes, so it might not be called Canada anymore in 50-100 years. For example, Bulgaria used to be called Thrace which had been a powerful kingdom in antiquity and had a different language which is barely known about anymore. Over the past 2,000 years it has gone through a number of changes and had various regimes governing it, has been independent and also part of several different empires. Canada has only been a country for a short time in comparison and has been been going through significant changes. Trudeau has said that Canada is a post-national country. Canada is also going through a period of critical self-examination and deconstruction-revisionism. A lot of what had been viewed as positive from its history now is seen more critically, with re-naming and removing historical figures now seen as negative.\nDiscussing immigration policy critically is considered by many to be taboo in Canada, unless a person is saying good things about it in general. You can hear people say that the government isn't processing enough people, for example, but not often that there are too many or that it costs a lot of money. The trend of migration from Canada to the US would only increase much more in the future as it is going currently, and its role as a stepping stone to migration to the US could increase. The way this would be seen by many in Canada is that they are losing valuable people to the USA whom they consider assets, since a lot of officials have been trying to bring in more people into the country, but not everyone wants to stay in Canada nowadays because of a lack of jobs and opportunities. Canada is quite laissez-faire about migration, with Toronto being a sanctuary city as well.

Quebec is absolutely the worst province in Canada m. It's what I like to call Canada's welfare province. It contributes nothing to the country. It only exists because it steals money from the west. Rather than waiting for them to separate we should kick them out; then maybe the rest of us could keep our money. We should rename it, Squatter.

Why you are always attacking the international students? We pay rent, taxes, CPP, tuition. We are the best students and most brilliant people of our own countries. We didnt come here for food, most of us come from wonderful countries with better weather beaches etc. We are here to contribute to this country as a new adventure while our intention remains returning home one day. Rest assured that many other countries offer better living conditions such as cheap university kitchen where you can eat and not worry about the meals, dorms just a few meters from classes etc. I tried one week applying in indeed and I got 6-7 job offers so there are plenty of jobs around. Look at the photos you are posting, most are from africans who came to canada illegally from mexico-us route or ocean-Quebec ships. Why dont you count millions of Ukrainian who are here taking your taxes and most of them doing nothing not even knowing English! Apparently you havent travelled that much overseas so your angle of view is narrow so I am not going to waste time seeing your videos. Good luck!

When were the good old days for Quebec in terms of immigration?\nWell, when the sovereigntist party, the Parti Québécois was in power for long periods between 1976 and the second referendum (1995).\n\nThe immigrants who arrived between 1976 and 1995 are among the best contributing to our society. Both those who arrived before and after have tremendous difficulties.\n\nWhen Canada is in charge of immigration, it systematically fails to integrate them into our society and set them against us ready to fail while enriching the super rich already.

As someone in his late twenties living in Quebec, I got to say this is very accurate. I won't say things are as bad as some other people are saying in the comments, but I do feel like the country is going downhill. For me, these are the main three things that feels wrong:\n\n1. We, as citizen, tend to offload every responsibility to the governments. Each election, they promise to handle more, but fail times and times again to deliver on their existing responsibilities. But we still vote for them, because we fear personal responsibilities. They created these immovable bureaucratic monsters and they lost control. They promise new shiny things instead of fixing what is already in place.\n2. We lost all notion of what is necessary. People gets more and more entitled which leads to overconsumption and frustation. Quebecers used to be proud peoples who survived with the little they had. Now greed has consumed our identity and nothing is holder us together.\n3. I feel that jobs are less and less useful to the society. Even I, as an electronic/software engineer, wonder if my job as meaning. I feel we lost touch with the concrete world. Some people have 0 contribution to anything useful and have really good salary and work conditions, while others bust their ass in shitty conditions. I feel like everything that we need is produced/done by a frighteningly small amount of individuals.\n\nBut from what I heard Canada isn't the only country to feel these. It maybe just hit us harder.\n\nP.S: It came out way worst than I initially intended. Maybe it is that bad...

SADLY BILL 96 WILL CONTRIBUTE TO RACISM HERE IN QUEBEC, IT'S ALREADY STARTED!!

In Quebec we already have over 40000 of these illegals living on government checks, taking space during a housing crisis, taking healthcare when the system is overloaded, sending their children to overloaded schools (Relative to the numbers of teachers) with them not contributing at all... they are making it harder for people to have families during a period of low birthrates. Even legal migrants aren't contributing to key jobs, they come here, try to get elite positions and cry about racism when they don't get them, go to university with the help of the government while most natives cannot even dream of higher education.\n\nMass migration in Canada is an epic failure in a time when we aren't supposed to mess up.

As a Quebecer, thank you for putting our Belle Province in first. When I clicked play, I was afraid we'd get bashed immediately and ranked tenth. I agree with most of your points, especially relating to the food, history and culture, and the natural beauty of our rural regions (Abitibi-Témiscamingue, my father's home region comes to my mind). \n\nThe only thing is, enough people are having problems with housing in Montreal, and home prices on the island have become unaffordable. This is a factor that contributes to urban sprawl, as a lot of young couples will decide to move to the North or South shores and buy a nice home for a lower price. Also, we haven't invested nearly enough money in public transit over the past few decades, leaving a lot of cities and areas undeserved. At least the REM might help fix some of that!\n\n\nBut thank you for making this video! I also have a lot of respect for the other Canadian provinces and have appreciated what I've seen in Ontario, BC and Alberta. I plan on visiting the rest of the country in following years, if I have enough money and time to do so. Thank you, and subbed!

as a Canadian born and bread I am sadden to hear the challenges of new comers but there are a couple pieces of advice I can offer. even Canadians have to build references at adulthood. there are ways to start out. volunteering provides not only references but a sense of contribution and and community. educators and agencies you engage with as do religious institutions and any organizations you may come evolve with for references. as far as the climate dress in\n layers, invest in sturdy boots with good tread in the colder months and to get outside and learn not only to embrace but enjoy the colder months. hike the trails. the trails year round. you can pick up a cheap pair of grippers for your boots in the sporting goods department of any Canadian tire. pick up a cheap toboggan and slide down a hill. snowshoeing after a fresh fallen snow requires endurance but very little skill. its lovely how quiet how still and silent the woods are in the winter. how bright and visible the winter landscape is at night and how lush and green the woods in summer. if in Ontario definitely visit the falls. you can find culture and history in both Montreal and Quebec especially old Quebec. most people in both are bilingual in French and English and even a word or two of French is appreciated and you can be sure of a response in English.youd also be surprised at how possible it is to communicate even with a language barrier. if you are close to Toronto, you can explore many different cultures in both neighborhoods and events. I wish you all the best in where ever your futures lie xoxo

Immigrant wishful thinking. Canada does love immigrants and most of it's populace are immigrants, but that is only for well documented immigrants with high human capital. Canada uses a point based system to see whether new immigrants can contribute to society. Trudeau is making things worse. Look at the influx of Haitians coming to Quebec. Too much rhetoric not enough learning.