Answer of the Front Pop and the OPDS against the declaration d’éric duhaime
Response from the Front Pop and our comrades at the OPDS (Popular Organization for Social Rights) to éric duhaime’s despicable statements and proposals regarding immigrants and/or social assistance recipients.
To learn more about the OPDS’s demands regarding social assistance and a more just society: https://opdsrm.com/revendications/
Éric duhaime’s Quebec conservative party, which is constantly pushing public discourse further to the right—even to the far right—made some deeply racist and false statements yesterday regarding immigration.
First, by proposing “to revise the selection criteria so that a portion of the points is awarded based on the country of origin, ensuring that the social values of that country align with those of Quebec,” in order not to “undermine gender equality or the rights of gay and lesbian people.”
This is dubious coming from a political party that, among other things, is constantly criticizing feminists, and now suddenly positions itself as a defender of women’s rights.
But this isn’t just a slip of the tongue on his part. Linking immigration to risks to the safety of women or LGBTQ+ communities has been a staple argument of the far right for years, with no evidence to back it up.
If the pcq were truly concerned about women’s rights, it could take on the masculinist and incel rhetoric that is gaining momentum within its beloved—even far-right—circles.
Returning to its old ways, the pcq—which has been bashing welfare recipients for over 15 years—has also proposed to “make Quebec less attractive to asylum seekers who come here for the generosity of our social programs” by cutting welfare benefits for asylum seekers by 25%.
For our comrades at the Popular Organization for Social Rights (OPDS), in addition to succumbing to racism, this is “literally spitting on the poor.”
“To begin with, talking about the ‘generosity’ of our social programs is really just a generous display of ignorance. The basic social assistance benefit is $845 per month. No one can survive on that.”
“Social assistance benefits have never kept pace with the actual rise in the cost of living. It’s no coincidence that while the rich are getting richer, mental health issues caused by precarious living conditions are skyrocketing among benefit recipients. As is often said, if you didn’t have a diagnosis of generalized anxiety before, once you’re on social assistance, you will.”
“For those who might be tempted to embrace this ‘our people first’ mindset, a reminder that the right wing wants to slash financial aid by any means necessary.”
“If asylum seekers are bearing the brunt of it today, tomorrow it will be everyone receiving benefits.”
Seeking asylum isn’t about picking out a nice vacation spot. It’s about placing your future in the hands of a system run by strangers who can destroy your slim hope of escaping violence and exploitation. It’s sometimes a choice between life and death—for yourself and your loved ones.
Supporting the violence of closure means losing one’s humanity, one’s sense of empathy, and one’s sense of solidarity. It means moving away from a more humane world. That is what we refuse to do!
