It cannot be said enough that when they are welcomed with open arms—that is, with generous French-language programmes, income support if necessary, access to housing within their means, recognition of their qualifications without corporate barriers, and especially access to employment without any discrimination—immigrants and refugees quickly cease to be a burden. Having had the strength to endure the harsh trials of fleeing from hells of misery or persecution, often crossing numerous countries, they are among the most capable, resourceful and resilient of their compatriots.

They will be the first to contribute to housing construction and become those essential workers, disproportionately racialised people, who saved the Quebec population during the pandemic. They could be the workforce answering the call of 120 municipal officials, including the Mayor of Montreal, representing 10 million Canadians. These officials are asking party leaders on the campaign trail to drop gas and oil pipelines and instead “build at least two million eco-friendly homes outside the private market, renovate our houses and buildings to better retain heat in winter and coolness in summer, and finally fund a genuine national strategy for resilience, intervention and reconstruction, so that our communities are ready to face the coming climate disasters.”

We, so-called native Quebecers, should not bury our heads in the sand. The Quebec mosque massacre and the death of Indigenous woman Joyce Echaquan are not isolated incidents but signs of deeply rooted, systemic racism. Recent investigations by Le Devoir [a major Quebec newspaper] in Abitibi and Gaspésie [regions of Quebec] concerning African nursing trainees have more than revealed this. “Intolerance, shock and dismay,” exclaims the editorial writer. “It’s an appalling story, situated at the boundaries of our hopes for immigrant integration and the stark reality on the ground, still furrowed by pockets of intolerance and discrimination.” Is it so certain that these are merely pockets? It is this well-established racism that, during the current election campaign, is serving the nationalist bloc well—CAQ, PQ [Parti Québécois] and Bloc Québécois [federal party representing Quebec interests], all too happy to maintain it for base electoral purposes.

Yet “Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) actually speaks of a ’significant decrease’ in this total number [of asylum seekers] since 2023. [...] Between January 1 and April 1, 2023, when crossings were still occurring at Roxham Road [unofficial border crossing point between the US and Canada], more than 19,600 people sought asylum in Canada. For the same period in 2024, there were more than 17,000, mainly arriving by plane. And this year, there have been 9,460 in total.” However, while flows at airports are decreasing, those at the border, at road entries and through woods, will increase, stimulated by fierce Trumpian repression.

What will be the reaction of Canada and Quebec? That is the question which distinguishes internationalism, opening a breach towards a pro-climate society of care and connection, from identity-based nationalism, confining the nation in a process of neo-fascisation.

Marc Bonhomme, 13 April 2025
www.marcbonhomme.com ; bonmarc videotron.ca