Column · 13 October 2026
2 min read
PSPP and Immigration: Finally Some Common Sense, or Almost
Paul St-Pierre Plamondon is finally proposing a sharp reduction in immigration to Quebec: half as many temporary residents, selection based on French proficiency, a moratorium on permanent economic immigration from abroad, and a hard cap at 35,000. For once, the half-measures stop. The real question is whether this common sense will hold against Ottawa or whether independence will be required to make it irreversible.
Paul St-Pierre Plamondon has unveiled his plan. Fewer temporary residents, selection based on French, a moratorium on permanent economic immigration from abroad, a ceiling of 35,000, and the repatriation of powers from Ottawa. For once, we are not stuck in the half-measures and delaying tactics of the CAQ.
For years we have been told that 500,000 temporary residents on the territory was “normal,” that modular classrooms were modernity, that the decline of French in Montreal was inevitable, and that questioning the volumes meant closing the door or worse. No. Questioning means recognizing that Quebec no longer has the capacity to welcome without diluting itself, without impoverishing itself, and without losing control of its language. PSPP’s plan has the merit of saying it clearly: we first select those already here who master French (levels 7 to 9), we protect agriculture and manufacturing, we shut off the tap of federal programs (PMI and the rest), and we set a realistic ceiling. This is not closure. It is planning. It is recognizing that a society that can no longer francize, house, and care for its newcomers is no longer welcoming: it is enduring.
But let us remain clear-eyed. Even at 35,000 permanent residents and 200-250,000 temporary ones, we remain in the logic of a province. As long as Ottawa controls visas, asylum seekers, and a large share of temporary permits, Quebec negotiates with its hands tied. Repatriating the powers is necessary. Independence is the only way to make it permanent. A country decides its borders. A province begs.
This plan is a step in the right direction. It finally acknowledges that massive, uncontrolled immigration has a cost: on the language, on housing, on services, on cohesion. For those who are tired of modular classrooms, waiting lists, and French receding in schoolyards, this is common sense. For the others, it is “closing the door.” Let them own it. You cannot have both record volumes and a society that remains francophone and functional.
The real test now is whether PSPP will hold firm against Ottawa, the lobbies, and the temptation of compromise. Because common sense is not negotiable.
