According to Francois Legault, Jean Boulet was disqualified from the post of immigration minister due to controversial comments about newcomers.
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“I put him as a candidate. I think he is just unfit to be immigration minister,” the outgoing prime minister argued on Wednesday in an interview with Mario Dumont on LCN.
80% of immigrants “do not work, do not speak French or adhere to the values of Quebec society,” Minister Boulet said at a Sept. 21 debate in Maurice. He defended himself by saying that he “expressed his thoughts badly.”
The comments contradicted specific statements made by outgoing Prime Minister Francois Legault, who said the CAQ government would ensure “80% of newcomers speak French before they are selected”.
In fact, according to immigration department data for the year 2021, 84.4% of economic immigrants welcomed by Quebec know French.
In addition, according to the Quebec Institute of Statistics, the share of immigrants to Montreal was 65% last year.
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The minister apologized
After these comments resurfaced on social networks, Jean Boulet published a message on Twitter expressing that his words exceeded his thoughts.
“I’m sorry for expressing my thoughts badly. The summary broadcast does not reflect what I think. We must continue to focus on the reception, francization and integration of immigrants who are a source of wealth for Quebec,” he wrote.
Unacceptable comments
Despite this meca culpa, François Legault ruled his minister’s words “unacceptable”.
“Jean made a serious mistake, what he said was not true. Mr. Boulet knows that. He said in the heat of the moment, but not an excuse to justify what he said, I am very sorry for Mr. Boulet’s words, “said Chief Caquist, who was invited Wednesday by the Board of Trade of Metropolitan. Montreal.
anger
The comments angered Liberal candidate Isabelle Melancon.
“These prejudices do not match what I see on the ground in Verdun. It is sad that an outgoing minister thinks like this,” she said.
“What have you been doing since 2018? You are the outgoing immigration minister and your government has also implemented a values test. Tell us about your record in terms of regionalization instead of spreading your prejudices,” added Monsef Derrazy, Liberal candidate in Nelligan.
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