YAMACHICHE, QUE. — As the debate over immigration intensifies ahead of Canada’s federal election, Quebec Premier François Legault is urging Ottawa to significantly reduce the number of temporary immigrants arriving in the province — a move that’s raising alarm among businesses reliant on foreign workers to keep operations running.
Roddy Larhubarbe, a meat processing worker originally from Mauritius, embodies the kind of immigration story many Quebec employers value. He moved to rural Quebec in 2019 to work at Olymel’s pork plant in Yamachiche, eventually transitioning from a temporary worker to permanent resident, and now aims to become a Canadian citizen.
“It was an opportunity,” said Larhubarbe by phone, preparing for another shift at the plant.
Olymel, like many Quebec employers, is warning that proposed immigration cuts could choke off a critical supply of workers, especially in industries already facing labour shortages.
Legault Presses for Fewer Non-Permanent Residents
Legault has sharpened his rhetoric on immigration since the start of the federal campaign, arguing that the growing number of non-permanent residents — including asylum seekers and temporary foreign workers — is straining housing, social services, and even Quebec’s cultural identity. In a public letter, he described the current levels as “a major obstacle to reversing the decline of French in Quebec.”
Immigration in Quebec is jointly managed by the provincial and federal governments, but Legault has long called for full control over the process — a stance echoed by the Bloc Québécois.
Both the Conservative Party and Mark Carney’s Liberals are responding to growing public anxiety over immigration by pledging to cap levels. Conservatives propose reducing the number of non-permanent residents in Quebec and offering the province greater autonomy. The Liberals, historically pro-immigration under Justin Trudeau, now advocate maintaining current levels until infrastructure can accommodate more newcomers.
The NDP has not proposed a specific cap but insists immigration should align with the country’s capacity to provide adequate support for arrivals.
Record Numbers, Uneven Management
Quebec has recently experienced record immigration, largely due to increases in temporary residents — including international students, foreign workers, and asylum seekers.
“This growth has been abnormal,” said Emna Braham, executive director of l’Institut du Québec. While acknowledging the economic benefits of immigration, Braham criticized how programs have been managed. “We lost control of certain immigration streams. Now there’s a need to regain it.”
In response, the Legault government has already moved to scale back immigration, imposing a moratorium on new temporary foreign workers in major urban areas and limiting international student admissions and access to work permits.
Business and Municipal Leaders Push Back
Quebec’s business community is pushing hard against these changes, warning that an unpredictable immigration policy could destabilize the province’s economy.
“Businesses have to plan their workforce years in advance,” said Denis Hamel, a senior adviser with the Conseil du patronat du Québec. “This yo-yo situation from the government is very disturbing.”
Louis Banville, vice-president of human resources at Olymel, noted that immigrants make up roughly 12% of the company’s 12,000-person workforce. “Without them, it would be difficult to fill roles, particularly in regions with aging populations,” he said. “We need long-term vision and pragmatism from the next government.”
The Fédération des chambres de commerce du Québec has called on both provincial and federal leaders to maintain current levels of temporary foreign workers, describing them as “essential to Quebec’s economic stability.”
Province: ‘Foreign Workers Must Be a Last Resort’
Quebec’s Immigration Ministry insists the province is not ignoring business concerns but maintains that public services and housing cannot support the current influx of foreign nationals.
“There are too many non-permanent residents in Quebec,” ministry spokesperson William Demers said in a statement. “Public services are stretched to the limit, and housing is in short supply.”
Demers added that the government will soon unveil a long-term plan to strike a balance between regional prosperity, public services, and available housing. The strategy, he said, will encourage businesses to prioritize automation and view foreign workers as a “last resort.”
‘A Political Football’
For advocates like Mostafa Heneway of the Immigrant Workers Centre in Montreal, the debate reduces immigrants to talking points.
“They’re being treated like a political football,” he said. “They’re painted as both a burden and a solution. But really, it’s just a lack of will and resources.”
Back in Yamachiche, Larhubarbe hopes his story — and those of others like him — will help shift the narrative.
“People only see the dark side of immigration,” he said. “But we’re doing the hard jobs, paying taxes, keeping the economy going.”
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