The mayor of Quebec City is calling for an increase in immigration there to address what he says is a ‘dangerous’ shortage of labor.
Immigration topped Mayor Régis Labeaume’s newly released list of annual priorities, citing the urgent need to fill 17,000 job vacancies in the Quebec City region.
“This dramatic lack of manpower is the most dangerous problem and can jeopardize our economic future,” Labeaume said. “It is no longer the time for observations or studies or good intentions.”
The mayor said the Quebec City region is only receiving six percent of newcomers immigrating to the province each year, and that number should be at least 10 percent.
This would translate to around 5,300 newcomers per year or an increase of around 2,000 over current levels.
Election issue
He said Quebec’s next government also needs to improve the province’s immigration system to reduce application processing times and generally make the immigration process easier, notably the recognition of foreign professional experience and degrees.
Lebeaume further emphasized the need for French-speaking immigrants, noting that most people living in the Quebec City region speak French as their first language.
“It’s a French city and there are two ways to succeed in immigration: to get a job and to speak the local language,” Labeaume told journalists.
“We have the jobs; if they speak French, it’s going to be a total success.”
