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A new study has found that the Coalition Avenir Québec government has kept its campaign promise of reducing immigration in the province, but at a cost for Montrealers.

Commissioned by the Association for Canadian Studies, the study aimed to analyze the levels of immigration for Quebec in the first six months of this year, compared to the previous six months of 2018.

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During last year’s election campaign, the CAQ promised to reduce immigration by 20 per cent, from about 50,000 to 40,000. The study revealed that the CAQ not only kept its promise; it exceeded it.

According to the analysis of immigration numbers from January to June 2019, the government reduced immigration in the province by 25 per cent. This is a contrast to other parts of Canada, where provinces like New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador saw their immigration levels increase by around 20 per cent.

The study also found that Montreal, Quebec City and Sherbrooke took the biggest cuts in numbers and shares of immigrants in the first six months of 2019, compared to the previous six months of 2018. Quebec City’s immigration was reduced by 30.6 per cent, while Sherbrooke’s was reduced by 59 per cent. Since the CAQ came into power, Montreal’s immigration numbers were reduced by 25.9 per cent.