How Canada’s fractured immigration consensus is starting to show up at ballot boxes

The long-held Canadian consensus on immigration has fractured, as evidenced by two recent political events: the Parti Québécois' victory in Quebec on a platform of tighter immigration controls, and the introduction of immigration-related questions on the Alberta ballot. The Parti Québécois' leader, François Legault, won a minority mandate promising to reduce annual permanent resident admissions from 45,000 to 35,000, and prioritize permanent status for temporary residents already in the province.

Meanwhile, in Alberta, Premier Danielle Smith has introduced five separate questions on immigration, including whether non-permanent immigrants should pay a fee for accessing health care and education services, and whether voters should present proof of citizenship when voting provincially.

While Jason Kenney, a former Alberta premier and federal immigration minister, calls for a broader, evidence-based debate on immigration policy, some argue that the immigration questions in Alberta are not just about immigration policy, but are instead racially and xenophobic in nature. Jason Kenney himself, however, does not see them as such, but warns of extreme political views that can sidetrack such debates.

The introduction of these questions on the Alberta ballot has been met with negative reactions from diaspora communities, who view them as targeting them and their journey in Canada. Lawyer Avnish Nanda, co-founder of the advocacy group Our Alberta Advantage, says these questions could undermine Canada's multicultural identity, while restricting access to provincial services would make it harder for newcomers to integrate.

In Quebec, the new minority Parti Québécois government, campaigning on a promise to tighten immigration controls, views immigration as a bargaining chip in its engagements with Ottawa. However, the debate in Quebec has a different focus, putting identity and culture at the forefront, rather than blaming social service shortages on immigrants as in Alberta.