Jan 15

Plan 2026 A Government Trading in Lives

This is not just the title of a study published by the Immigration Legal Analysis Institute CILA. It names a historical moment lived by tens of thousands of migrant workers and students in Quebec. The study shows how the rhetoric of “receiving capacity” is weaponized to strip people of stability and dignity, turning immigration into a factory of precarity.

At the Immigrant Workers Centre, we do not publish the full report here. Its technical language hides a simple truth. The government has decided to manage human beings as disposable labour. We therefore turn this analysis into a political outcry.

Six flashpoints and what must be done now.

  1. Destruction of permanent residence pathways.
    The plan blocks transitions and traps people in temporary status. We must reopen all fast tracks to permanent residence for everyone who lives and works in Quebec.

  2. Arbitrary caps on migration.
    For the first time, hard limits are imposed on admissions. We must reject this scarcity logic and defend migration as a human right.

  3. Precarity through temporary labour programs.
    Tying workers to one employer enables abuse and deportation threats. We need open work permits and status independent of employers.

  4. Language used as a political weapon.
    French is invoked to exclude instead of investing in education. We must defend the right to live and work with dignity, not build linguistic borders.

  5. Assault on family reunification.
    Families are kept apart by design. Reunification must be guaranteed from day one.

  6. Dividing the working class.
    Multiple legal categories fracture solidarity. We must build unity across status, language, and origin.

Read the full study by CILA here.
https://cila.co/immigration-in-quebec-at-a-crossroads-a-critical-analysis-of-the-2026-quebec-immigration-plan/

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