Quebec Government's Controversial Plan for Asylum Seekers
The Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) government is facing significant criticism for its proposal to reduce social assistance benefits for asylum seekers who cannot find employment. Immigration Minister Jean-François Roberge has defended the measure as necessary to discourage what he describes as Quebec's excessive attractiveness to refugees.
Minister Roberge initially claimed that approximately 50% of asylum seekers with work permits were unemployed, though his office later retracted this statement, admitting they lacked accurate data to support the figure.
Widespread Criticism from Opposition and Advocacy Groups
Guillaume Cliche-Rivard, Québec solidaire's homelessness spokesperson, condemned the proposal as "inhumane" and expressed concern that it would increase homelessness. As an immigration lawyer, Cliche-Rivard emphasized that official data from the Immigration and Refugee Board shows nearly 80% of asylum seekers were accepted in 2024, contradicting Premier François Legault's claim that "50% of asylum seekers are not real asylum seekers."
Maryse Poisson of the Welcome Collective described the measure as "cruel" and highlighted how single mothers without childcare often rely on social assistance as a last resort to avoid eviction, even when they possess work permits.
Pattern of Immigration Controversies
This incident continues a pattern of CAQ ministers making controversial statements about immigration. In 2022, then-immigration minister Jean Boulet claimed that "80% of immigrants go to Montreal, don't work, don't speak French or don't adhere to Quebec values," yet still won re-election.
Premier Legault has repeatedly characterized immigration above 50,000 annually as "suicidal" for Quebec and recently blamed asylum seekers for the homelessness crisis, despite providing no supporting evidence.
Critics argue the government is using vulnerable groups as political tools in negotiations with Ottawa rather than pursuing evidence-based immigration policies. Cliche-Rivard and others have long called for informed debate on immigration, noting that research shows benefit cuts are ineffective deterrents that primarily harm children.
