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Mayors and advocates across the province are citing the need for immigrants in Quebec\u2019s regions to prevent what they call a “phase of decline” after the government abolished a popular pathway to permanent residency. <\/p>\n
In November, Quebec scrapped the Programme de l’exp\u00e9rience qu\u00e9b\u00e9coise (PEQ)<\/a>, leaving thousands of foreign workers unsure of their future in the province.<\/p>\n Antonin Valiquette, the mayor of the Magdalen Islands, is among the dozens of Quebec mayors with the Federation of Quebec Municipalities who signed an open letter, published in La Presse Thursday, about the effect of this decision on municipalities.<\/p>\n The federation’s president, Jacques Demers, wrote in Thursday\u2019s letter<\/a> the government is locking itself into a \u201csterile policy clearly not based on facts\u201d and that a majority of regions are now entering what he referred to as \u201ca phase of decline in the absence of sustained immigration.\u201d<\/p>\n He called on the Quebec government to demonstrate \u201ctrue leadership.”<\/p>\n On Saturday, protests against the abolishment of the PEQ are planned across the province<\/a>, in Quebec City, Sherbrooke, Montreal, Chicoutimi, Rimouski, Trois-Rivi\u00e8res and Gatineau. <\/p>\n \u2018They’re part of our community,\u2019 says mayor<\/p>\n It\u2019s no secret the regions need people to keep communities alive, says Valiquette.\u00a0<\/p>\n He acknowledges moving to his community of over 12,000 people, located in the Gulf of the Saint Lawrence, is no small feat. Yet, his municipality is one of hundreds across Quebec relying on foreign workers \u2014 who have become part of the town’s fabric.<\/p>\n \u201cThey’re part of our community. They have colleagues, they have employers,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201c[A kid] told me that she was nervous to lose a friend in her school. And that is true for the adults too. They made friends.\u201d<\/p>\n Now, these people are left in limbo. For thousands of newcomers, the change represents shattered dreams of settling in Quebec<\/a> and leaves them feeling betrayed and anxious about their future.<\/p>\n Now, the sole route for immigrants wishing to settle in the province for economic reasons is the recently launched Skilled Worker Selection Program<\/a>, which is known by its French initials PSTQ.<\/p>\n Under the program, the government assesses the education, French-language proficiency and work experience of temporary residents using a 1,200-point scale. The higher the score, the greater the likelihood that immigrants will be invited to apply for a Quebec Selection Certificate, which eventually leads to permanent residency.<\/p>\n Keeping a promise<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/1770484932_582_default.jpg\")
The Magdalen Islands are among the communities impacted by the end of the PEQ program. (Radio-Canada)<\/p>\n
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