👨👩👧 Jonas, a father threatened with deportation — and the question of our capacity to welcome others
Factual response to Philippe Lorange's comments, with comparative data and five immediate courses of action to defend the right to live as a family.
Quebec faces a choice: treat immigration as a numbers game, or as a matter of families and human dignity.
🚨 An urgent case: Jonas, father of a 3-month-old Canadian girl, is at risk of being deported to a war-torn country on 10 September. His Quebec wife and an entire community are rallying to keep him here with his family.
📄 Read the article in Le Soleil:
https://www.lesoleil.com/actualites/2025/08/06/un-pere-bien-installe-au-quebec-menace-dexpulsion-au-congo-J2AVG2CLYNBKDBRZ3TVG3IRBHU/
💬 ‘Kimia has the right to live with her father, Fannie has the right to live with her husband, and Jonas has the right to live with his family.’
— Stewart Istvanffy, Jonas's lawyer
Write to Minister Lena Metlege Diab and Parliament on behalf of Jonas. Template here. 📢 Petition for Jonas : https://bit.ly/FannieEtJonas
✊ The right to live with one's family is non-negotiable.
Minister Jean-François Roberge has already suggested—even before the hearings began—that he has a preconceived idea about Quebec's ‘reception capacity,’ going so far as to ignore the brief from the Federation of Chambers of Commerce (FCCQ) calling for realistic thresholds to prevent business closures.
To reverse the trend, massive public support will be needed. History shows us that this is possible: when Minister Landry cut school budgets, a petition with over 100,000 signatures forced him to back down.
It is this collective strength that we need today.
Lever 1: 👉 Sign the official petition to the National Assembly: https://www.assnat.qc.ca/fr/exprimez-votre-opinion/petition/Petition-11563/index.html
✍ Share, sign, mobilise. For Jonas, Fannie, Kimia, and for all our families.✊
🎯 Immigration questionnaire – Federal Government (IRCC) The federal government is consulting the public on immigration priorities. Every voice counts. There is only one day left to complete the questionnaire.
Lever 2: 👉 Respond here: Link to the IRCC consultation form.
📊 Public consultation – Government of Quebec (2025–2027) The Government of Quebec is conducting a public consultation on immigration planning for 2025–2027. All citizens and organisations are welcome to participate.
Lever 3:👉 Official questionnaire: Quebec consultation survey.
🖊 Write directly to the National Assembly You can also submit your comments directly as part of the ongoing consultation process.
Lever 4:👉 Link to the form here: to comment on the subject of immigration and the Quebec government's handling of family reunification.
💡 Example message:
Hello, I am writing to you as a citizen concerned about the consequences of the current delays in spousal sponsorship in Quebec. According to the most recent data published by IRCC, the wait times for spouses living abroad who wish to join their partners in Quebec are up to 41 months…
Lever 5: 💌 Relay call: In addition to taking the actions above, forward this message to your wider network. Every Quebecker is affected by what is happening in terms of family reunification and immigration.
Continue reading below to see why we must be cautious when discussing reception capacity or integration.
📝 Editor's note
This article analyses some recent public statements on immigration in Quebec, as reported by TVA Nouvelles. The aim is not to judge the person quoted, but to verify the data, examine its context and compare it with other reliable sources.
This article is an extension of our YouTube video for this week.
1. Context
Sociologist Philippe Lorange asserts that Quebec welcomes between 50,000 and 60,000 permanent residents each year, significantly more than before the Charest years. He also maintains that integration capacity can be objectively measured through housing and employment.
The problem? As the OECD points out, there is no universal scientific threshold. This capacity depends on political choices: housing construction, access to French language training, recognition of qualifications, etc.
2. The facts
In 2023, Quebec welcomed 65,000 permanent residents — 0.75% of its population and 7.4 admissions per 1,000 inhabitants, well below the Canadian average (10.2). This represents 15.6% of all Canadian admissions in 2023, compared to 17.2% in 2022 and 20.8% in 2021.
This is proportionally more than France (0.5%) and the United States (0.3%), but less than Canada, Germany, Denmark or the Netherlands. With the 2025 target (65,000 admissions), this would fall to only 0.6% — far behind comparable countries and at the bottom of the OECD scale (average between 8 and 15 admissions per 1,000 inhabitants).
3. Public opinion
Contrary to the idea that Quebec is closed to immigration, the Léger poll commissioned by Québec Réunifié in April 2025 and cited by Bordeleau in Le Devoir shows that a majority of Quebecers support family reunification and want to speed up the process.
Another important statistic: in 2023, 67% of admissions selected by Quebec reported knowing French, a rate significantly higher than the Canadian average (49%).
4. The weight of family reunification
In 2023, family reunification accounted for 27% of admissions to Quebec, compared to 36% in Canada. This illustrates that, contrary to certain preconceptions, the economic category remains largely predominant, and that family reunification is proportionally less prevalent in Quebec than elsewhere in the country.
5. Conclusion
The figures show:
Quebec welcomes proportionally fewer newcomers than the Canadian average and than several comparable countries.
Integration capacity is not a fixed ceiling, but a choice of society and investment.
Public opinion is in favour of better treatment of family reunification.
Quebec stands out positively for its proportion of French-speaking newcomers.
💌 Forward this email to your entire network. Every action counts in making our voices heard and defending the right to live as a family.
🔗 Petition to the National Assembly (French only):
https://www.assnat.qc.ca/fr/exprimez-votre-opinion/petition/Petition-11563/index.html
🎯 Immigration questionnaire – Federal Government (IRCC):
https://ircc.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_7830LrmheZdgkXY
📊 Public consultation – Government of Quebec (2026–2029) (French only):
https://questionnaire.simplesondage.com/f/s.aspx?s=30adca65-a997-4a77-ba29-eacaedd3f79c
🖊 Write directly to the National Assembly (French only):
https://www.assnat.qc.ca/fr/travaux-parlementaires/commentaire.html?type=Mandat&id=54013
🖊Write to Minister Lena Metlege Diab and Parliament on behalf of Jonas. Template: here.