With Quebec's possible secularism law, Edmundston mayor hopes more people move to N.B. - Action News
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New Brunswick

With Quebec's possible secularism law, Edmundston mayor hopes more people move to N.B.

Edmundstons mayor hopes more people will move to New Brunswick after Quebecs secular law proposal.

Cyrille Simard says the area's unemployment rate is sitting around 4.1%

Edmundston Mayor Cyrille Simard is encouraging more people to move to New Brunswick after Quebec's proposal for a secularism law that would prohibit religious symbols in some public-sector jobs. (CBC)

EdmundstonMayorCyrilleSimardsees unhappiness with Quebec's proposed secular law as a chance to attract people to northwestern New Brunswick.

"We are looking so badly for people here in New Brunswick," Simard said Friday.

The Quebec governmentintroduced a bill this week that wouldprohibit public workers in positions of authority from wearing religious symbols such as a hijab, skullcap or turban.

Religious groups have reacted with concern, and some public-sector employees have eventhreatenedto leave the province if the bill becomes law.

New bill 'an opportunity'

But Simard, whose city lies just outside the Quebec border, used the discontent to talk about job opportunities in New Brunswick.

"If Quebec doesn't want those who carry religious signs, come to us we have room and we are hospitable," he wrote on Twitter.

He said his tweet was directed at people graduating from university or otherprograms in Quebec and looking for permanent jobs.

He said teaching, manufacturing, tourism, health care and policing are all in need of workers.

New Brunswick's unemployment rate

As Canada's sole bilingual province, Simardsaid, he is also hopeful more bilingual employees will move to the province, where "linguistic rights are protected."

In the Edmundston area, the unemployment rate is sitting around4.1 per cent. Both private and public sectors are affected by the lack of skilled workers.

In its monthly labour force survey, Statistics Canada said theunemployment rate in New Brunswick rose to 8.5 per cent in February.

"It's almost a crisis at this stage," he said.

With files from Benjamin Shingler