Quebec Is Going To Select Mamadi Camara For Immigration Following His Wrongful Arrest
At a press conference on Tuesday, Premier François Legault announced that he has asked the provincial minister of immigration to ensure that Mamadi Camara obtains a Certificat de sélection du Québec (CSQ) — a document that facilitates a permanent residence application.
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The premier said he hopes the selection of Camara for immigration will help to "alleviate" the injustice he endured when he was wrongly arrested in January.
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Because Quebec selects its own immigrants, workers who intend to settle in the province must usually obtain a CSQ before applying for permanent residence through the federal government.
The House of Commons also unanimously approved a motion on Tuesday calling on the federal immigration minister to grant Camara permanent residence.
Legault said that "like many Quebecers," he was "concerned" about "the way [Camara] was arrested and detained for six days" and the effect the incident had on him and his family.
Camara was arrested following an attack on a Montreal police officer. He was released from custody on February 3 in light of evidence that exonerated him.
The announcement by Legault comes after Camara and his lawyer Virginie Dufresne-Lemire appeared on the Radio-Canada program Tout le monde en parle to discuss the incident, which Camara called "traumatizing" and "extremely difficult."
Dufresne-Lemire also described a forceful encounter with Montreal police, saying an officer put his foot on Camara's head after he had been taken from his car through the window and put on the ground.
Camara called his release from detention and the apology from SPVM chief Sylvain Caron a "relief" for him and his family but added that questions remain about the incident.
Dufresne-Lemire stated that "the racial question comes up and it's certain that it played a role in the evolution of this case."
Deputy Premier and Minister of Public Security Geneviève Guilbault announced on February 9 that officials are launching an investigation into the events that led to Camara's wrongful arrest.