Quebec anticipates “turbulence” at borders after Trump’s election

Photo: Jacques Boissinot The Canadian Press “We should not see a massive influx of immigrants coming via the United States,” said François Legault.

The election of Donald Trump as the 47th president of the United States risks creating “turbulence” at the borders, according to Premier François Legault, who fears significant migration to Quebec in particular.

“We should not see a massive influx of immigrants coming via the United States,” the CAQ elected official said Wednesday, the day after the American billionaire came to power. “Our reception capacity, our integration capacity, is already exceeded.”

Earlier in the morning, Parti Québécois leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon said he was concerned about “mass movements” toward Quebec. “Mr. Trump, I remind you […], intends to move, to deport up to 20 million illegal immigrants,” the Quebec elected official said in a press scrum at the National Assembly.

According to François Legault, “we risk experiencing turbulence in the coming months, the coming years, in our relations with the Americans.” For the economy, the arrival of Mr. Trump, a notorious protectionist, at the head of the southern neighbor does not bode well, he added.

“Unfortunately, we must expect that there will be actions taken by Mr. Trump and his team that could be negative for the Canadian economy and the Quebec economy,” said Mr. Legault, emphasizing that Washington State had voted to give the green light to an agreement with Quebec on the carbon market.

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A working group

To ensure that the choices of the future Trump government in terms of the economy and immigration do not affect internal affairs here, Mr. Legault announced on Wednesday the creation of a multidisciplinary ministerial team “Quebec – United States.” “Our goal is to react very quickly. So, to give ourselves a strategy. “We are already working on it,” he said.

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M. Legault will visit Uncle Sam's country himself in the first half of 2025. He also wants Canada to appoint a “high-level special emissary” to ensure a smooth transition with the new American federal government.

His Minister of Immigration, Jean-François Roberge, is also evaluating his options to “ensure that the border is well protected.” “We need to take measures to prevent exoduses from the United States to Canada,” he stressed.

“Without being alarmist, we need to look at potential mass movements that could start today,” said Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, without proposing direct measures to tighten control of the “porous” borders with the United States.

In this context, the PQ leader sees no other solution than independence to ensure that customs are not besieged by a series of new asylum seekers. According to Liberal MP André A. Morin, however, there are “mechanisms” at the borders to counter the influx of new migrants.

“The Americans have made their choice,” he recalled, acknowledging Mr. Trump’s rise to power.

For Québec solidaire, the victory of Trumpism in the United States is far from reassuring.

“Raising a family in a world [like this] is worrying,” stressed the political party's co-spokesperson, Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois, in the morning, sending his sympathies to women and immigrants who could be affected by the election result.

With Isabelle Porter