Qubec Solidaire unveils plan to better integrate new immigrants

Qubec Solidaire has outlined a plan to better integrate immigrants in the province, including the creation ofa network of information centresand streamlinedrecognition ofdiplomas obtained outside of Canada.

Speaking to reporters Sunday, co-spokesperson Manon Mass said the partywould create a networkto provide new arrivals with information about jobs, French-language classes, and offer other kinds of support.

It would also create a program to make sure 25 per cent of public sector employees were hiredfromethnic and visible minority candidates.

Under the umbrella of Quebec's Immigration Ministry, the new information centres called theCarrefours d'acceuil en immigration would operate in each region across the province, Mass said.

Currently, the party maintains that integration services are offered unevenly depending onwhere you live, and that can pushimmigrants to leave Quebec altogether if they don't get the support they need.

"When you arrive here, you don't have any references. You don't necessarily know the language.You don't know how to get your health card done, [or] where jobs are needed," Mass said.

QubecSolidairesaid it also plans to boost funding for French-language classes, including those offered by companies in the province, and speed up the rate at which diplomas obtained outside of Canada are recognized.

Immigration a keyelectionissue

Qubec Solidaire is the latest party to unveil its platform on immigration ahead of the provincial elections Oct. 1.

The opposition Parti Qubcois said last month it would aim to get immigrants to settle in regions outside Montreal and make sure they have a good grasp of French before they arrive.

The PQ said it would also fast-track new immigrants who have a job in the province lined up, according to party leader Jean-Franois Lise.

On Sunday,Lise told CBCthat some of QubecSolidaire'spoints mirrored his own party's stance.

The opposition party has been asking PhilippeCouillard'sLiberal government for "real measures [for the] better integration of diversity within the public sector [and] within society as a whole" for the past 18 months, Lise said.

In their 2018 budget, the Liberals announced plans to improve the integration of new immigrants into the workforce.

Last year, Couillard also attended a meeting that aimed to break down the barriers many face in finding jobs in their fields.

For its part, the Coalition Avenir Qubec, which has been leading in recent opinion polls, said it would give new immigrants up to three years to demonstrate they could speak French and respect Quebec values.

After that period, those who failed a test of language and valuescould be flagged to federal immigration authorities, said party leader Franois Legault.

"We do not want to keep too many people who do not accept our language, our values and to participate in the workforce," Legault told Radio-Canada last month.