CAQ loses parliamentary motion on student immigration program despite majority status

TheCoalition Avenir Qubecfaced an embarrassing loss in the National Assembly Wednesday, after the opposition passed a motioncalling on the CAQ to cancel its controversial reform to a student immigration program.

Normally, such a motion would not passbecause the CAQholds 75 of the National Assembly's 125 seats but only three CAQ MNAs happened to be there at the time.

Several MNAs, including PremierFranois Legault, were at a nearby event to support the CAQ candidate in the riding of Jean-Talon, where a byelectionis coming up in December.

A minimum of five CAQ MNAs would have had to be in the National Assembly to postpone the vote to the next day.

Liberal immigration criticMonsef Derrajipresented the motion around 5 p.m. after a heated debated about the reform. Itcallson the government to "cancel the recent changes and revert to the original eligibility requirements."

When the motion passed, cheers erupted in the room as National Assembly vice-president Marc Picardappeared surprised of its win. Though the motion is non-binding, Derraji said it was meant to exercise pressure.

• After outcry, Quebec backtracks on restrictions to student immigration program

Whip to get a 'talking-to'

At the party event in Jean-Talon, in reaction to the vote, Legault said he would be giving the party whip,Arthabaska MNAric Lefebvre,a"talking-to."

It is the whip's responsibility to make sure enough MNAsare present in parliament, especially when a vote happens.

Earlier in the day, the CAQhad backtracked and announced it would allow students already in the province under the immigration program to finish it.

Created in 2010, the programgave foreign students studying in the province,as well as people working in the province for more than a year on temporary permits,a fast-track toward permanent residency.

But on Nov. 1,theprovince cut about 300 fields of study from the list of oneseligible for the program, leaving thousands hoping to settle in Quebec without a clear path forward.

The change was widely criticized and agroup of tearful students appeared at the National Assembly Tuesday, pleading the government to reconsider.

The next morning, Immigration MinisterSimon Jolin-Barrette announced he would create an acquired rights clause to allow them to complete the program.

Legault said he and his wife weremoved by the students' stories and admitted he hadn't had a good day.

• Why the Quebec government's immigration missteps go beyond Franois Legault's 'bad day'

Following Wednesday's motion,QubecSolidaire co-spokespersonGabriel Nadeau-Duboissaid he was asking the government to respect it.

"It has political and moral weight," Nadeau-Dubois said, adding Jolin-Barrette's backtracking on the program reform"demonstrates the extent of the government's improvisation on this issue."