Legault says more immigration would be 'suicidal,' creating a flashpoint with Quebec businesses

Franois Legault told a business audience that raising immigration levels would be "suicidal" for the French language, previewing what will almost certainly be a flashpoint with the employers.

Legault said at an event hosted by the Chamber of Commerce of Montreal that it would be suicidal to increase the number of immigrants since we can't stop the decline of French.

The Financial Post is part of Postmedia Network Inc.

There was an issue with signing you up. Try again.

Many economists say that it is vital for Quebec's economic competitiveness that Legault take a hardline on the issue. Many of the jobs in Quebec will go unfilled without help from outsiders because of the province's older population. The head of the Conseil du Patronat du Québec, the province's biggest business lobby group, said that it's like fishing in an empty lake if you're an employer today.

With less than a week to go before the election, pollsters say that Legault's Coalition Avenir Québec is assured of a second consecutive majority. According to Leger Marketing Inc., Legault is in the lead with 37 per cent of the vote, well ahead of the leftish Quebec Solidaire at 17 per cent and the Liberals at 16 per cent.

According to Philippe Fournier, the CAQ is on track to win 92 seats, while the Liberals are on track to win 20. The calculation shows that the CAQ will win the most seats.

Legault, who co-founded holiday airline Transat A.T. Inc., is seen as a business friendly person. When it comes to immigration, the executives in Quebec are at odds with the premier, especially in Montreal, where a group of technology companies is afraid language politics will affect their ability to grow.

It will be harder for Montreal companies to compete with Toronto for scarce talent if Quebec restricts immigration with all sorts of qualifications, according to the president of the chamber of commerce.

Legault will face little resistance in Quebec City if the CAQ collapses in popularity. We can't increase the number of immigrants because we will see a decline in the number of Quebecers who speak French.

Quebec should stop bringing in more immigrants and instead encourage people to work in the areas with the greatest labour shortages. The CAQ wants to reduce immigration to 50,000 by the year 2020.

The email address is Mcoulton@postmedia.