Why are problems such as overcrowded hospitals, the shortage of teachers, lack of daycare spaces and the housing crisis getting worse? According to some politicians, it’s the fault of immigrants. They claim there are too many immigrants, more than Québec can handle, we are being overrun.

The fact is, immigrants make a vital contribution to our society.

Meeting labour needs with temporary immigration

At the end of 2024, there were 500,000 immigrants with work or study permits in Québec. Of these, 390,000 (78%) were immigrants recruited abroad and accepted by the Québec government. The remaining 22% were asylum seekers who were not directly invited by Québec but were granted temporary work permits by the government.[1]

The increase in immigration was something the Québec government wanted. It encouraged the recruitment of foreign students to offset the decrease in public funding for education, since international students pay higher tuition fees. Québec’s declining birth rate also means there are fewer Québec-born students in the school system. We know that a society’s development, its ability to innovate and its entire future depend on the education of its youth. Welcoming foreign students and training them here allows them to integrate into the community and become full members of Québec society.

It was the business community that pushed the government to accept more foreign workers in order to ward off economic stagnation.[2] Québec’s population has been aging for years. In 2024, for the first time, the number of deaths exceeded the number of births. As a result, there is a widespread labour shortage, in both the private and public sectors. Every day, we hear business leaders warn that their companies will be adversely affected if they lose workers who cannot obtain Québec residency and must return to their countries of origin.

Foreign workers work hard, often holding down two jobs. They pay income tax, buy goods and services from local businesses, pay sales taxes on the goods they consume, pay into employment insurance and pay rent. They are not a burden. They help drive the development of our economy, deliver our public services and much more, but not everyone realizes this.

Scapegoats for government mismanagement

François Legault now says these people are an unsustainable burden on Québec and exceed the limits of our capacity to integrate newcomers.^[3] Instead of blaming immigrants, he should recognize their contributions and turn his attention to tackling the real causes of the housing crisis and the problems in our health and education systems.

The government is making immigrants the scapegoats for its own lack of planning and insufficient investment in health, education and housing. If the workers we are bringing in because we need them are to live here and become active members of our society, they have to be provided with health care, daycare and school spaces for their children, and French language courses. This should be self-evident.

There are 500,000 temporary immigrants who want to make a new life in Québec. We have the means to help them settle here and remain among us, rather than spouting worn xenophobic prejudices.

Permanent immigration instead of temporary workers

The federal and provincial governments initially set up the temporary foreign worker program to meet the seasonal needs of farmers who couldn’t find enough workers, especially during harvest season. Then businesses in other industries wanted to use the program to hire temporary foreign workers as well. The federal government expanded the program to all industries and agreed to share its administration with Québec.

To use the temporary foreign worker program, employers must have the Labour Market Impact Assessment approved by the Québec government. They can then hire workers who have been issued a “closed” work permit, which must also be approved by the Québec government.

A closed temporary work permit allows foreign workers to work, but only for a single employer. This requirement has led to many abuses. Workers have been forced to accept inhumane working and living conditions and pay below the minimum wage under threat of losing their work permit and being forced to return to their home country. Temporary foreign workers are vulnerable to exploitation because they don’t know their rights, are afraid to stand up for themselves, and do not always have access to existing support networks. In 2024, the United Nations Special Rapporteur described Canada’s temporary foreign worker program as “a breeding ground for contemporary forms of slavery.”

Another major problem is that temporary work permits are often granted for permanent jobs. When the permit expires, workers who are valued by their employers and well integrated into society must leave Québec, only to be replaced by new workers. This system is inefficient and discriminatory, creating insecurity and broken lives. The Conseil central du Montréal métropolitain–CSN and the entire CSN movement call for foreign workers to be granted open work permits and allowed to obtain permanent residence in Québec.

For years, labour unions and many community groups and civil society organizations have been advocating for permanent residence rather than the precarious conditions created by temporary residence. In the long run, it is permanent immigration that motivates people to learn French, supports Québec’s demographics and helps sustain its labour market and the delivery of services.

Important contributions

It should be borne in mind that foreign workers make important contributions to the well-being of Quebecers. They perform many vital functions, particularly in the healthcare sector. During the pandemic, they were called “guardian angels.” Today, they are still essential in residential and long-term care centres (CHSLDs), private seniors’ residences (RPAs), homecare for seniors and people with disabilities, daycares, school support jobs, and many other services.

Foreign workers bring us pieces of their home countries’ cultures, tastes and perspectives that blend with our own culture and better our daily lives. We need only think of the culinary, musical and cultural contributions immigrants have made, the actors, comedians and authors who have found refuge here and are now part of our society. They have been enriching our culture for hundreds of years.

For a better future

Canada’s current immigration policy is already forcing workers with jobs and children in French-language schools to leave Québec. Some politicians want even harsher policies. Immigrants come to Québec to build a better future for themselves and their children. It is up to us to implement mechanisms to better integrate them. Expelling hard-working families, children who have made friends and young people with hopes and dreams is inhumane. Here and elsewhere, we see politicians exploiting fear of foreigners, trying to win popularity by sowing division and hatred. What will they reap? This is not the society we want. Our country, the one we love, the one we want to build, is the one Gilles Vigneault sings about:

I give my time and my space

To prepare the fire, the place,

For the humans on the horizon,

And humans are my race.

Ramatoulaye Diallo

Treasurer and officer responsible for immigration and intercultural relations, Conseil central du Montréal métropolitain–CSN

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[1] Ministère de l’Immigration, de la Francisation et de l’Intégration, Direction de la statistique et de l’information de gestion, December 2024

[2] https://www.journaldemontreal.com/2025/10/28/crise-des-travailleurs-etrangers-temporaires-plus-de-250-m-de-dollars-de-contrats-menaces

[3] François Legault, letter to the Prime Minister of Canada, Le Droit, January 18, 2024; Paul Saint-Pierre Plamondon, Journal de Montréal, January 16, 2024.