Quebec Premier-elect Paul St-Pierre Plamondon targets immigration

Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, leader of the separatist Parti Québécois, is set to become Quebec’s next premier following a provincial election victory that eliminated the governing Coalition Avenir Québec. The PQ secured approximately 59 seats, granting St-Pierre Plamondon dominant control of the National Assembly.

A central pillar of his campaign was opposition to high immigration levels. St-Pierre Plamondon argued that prioritizing overall GDP growth over per capita prosperity is a flawed economic metric. He contended that while mass immigration expands the total size of the economy, it also increases the labor pool, which can drive down wages and erode living standards for current residents.

His stance directly challenges the Century Initiative, a corporate-backed nonprofit advocating for Canada to reach a population of 100 million by 2100 through increased immigration. The PQ platform calls for significant cuts to immigration, including a moratorium on new economic immigrants, suggesting instead that permanent residency should be drawn from existing pools of temporary foreign workers and international students.