Temporary immigrants should be replaced by robots, automation: Parti Québécois

The Parti Québécois says it would lean on robots and automation to replace temporary workers as part of a detailed proposal to cut immigration to Quebec.

Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon says it’s a lie that immigration can fix labour shortages, adding that Quebec should instead follow the lead of countries like Japan and China that have invested heavily in robotics and artificial intelligence.

The sovereigntist opposition party wants to cut the number of non-permanent residents in the province to 250,000 or 300,000, down from 600,000 today.

In a policy paper published this morning, the party says it would create a special fund for the automation of sectors affected by labour shortages, including manufacturing and retail.

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St-Pierre Plamondon says Quebec’s existing immigration system puts pressure on housing and threatens the French language, and he also wants to cut the number of permanent immigrants to Quebec to 35,000 from 50,000 annually.

The PQ leader says Quebec will only attain a viable immigration model if the province achieves independence from Canada.