Immigration Policy: How Québec Differs From the Rest of Canada

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It is no surprise that Québec and the rest of Canada have their differences. For one, Québec sees itself as a distinct nation regarding language, culture, and of course, history. These characterizations elicit tensions that date back to when Canada was a dominion. There are many disagreements about the power differential between the federal and provincial governments. This was apparent in 1982 when important provincial power debates delved into the patriation of the constitution. This resulted in some powers, like immigration, being shared. Québec’s immigration policy is defined by its particularities that are comprehensively uniform with the rest of Canada. 

What makes Québec’s immigration policy so unique from the rest of Canada? The language barrier is an important distinction. In addition to the differences in language, Québec is unique when compared to other provinces; it has much more authority and autonomy about how immigrants can settle in the province. For example, since 1968, Québec has had its own minister of immigration. Its unique service, Arrima, aims to help new immigrants to apply for an expression of interest to venture to Québec. Something to note about this process is that it is only in French, arguably an essential dissimilarity from the rest of Canada. One obvious reason for the disparity is the introduction of Bill 101, which advocates for the predominance of the French language in Québec. This bill instituted in the 1970s emphasized the French language in everyday life. Consequently, people who immigrated to Québec had to learn French and send their children to French schools. This was not the case in the rest of Canada; where language was seemingly not as much of a priority. 

The rest of Canada has aimed to welcome “a record number of immigrants” to get more people into the workforce. The federal government hopes that at least 1.45 million new residents will arrive permanently in Canada within the next three years. In contrast, Québec’s premier, François Legault, has a very different point of view regarding immigrants entering the province. In response to the federal government’s aim to welcome more immigrants to the country, Legault said that it would be “a bit suicidal.” This has led to much backlash from the public, critiquing how the province has handled immigration. In response to this claim, many people, most notably the opponents of the CAQ government, said that these comments were both “hurtful” and “irresponsible.” However, this was not the first time the French-speaking province encountered issues regarding immigration. Even the immigration minister, Jean Boulet, has commented on the situation. He claimed that the people who immigrated to Québec, especially Montréal, were not adhering to the values of Québec society, primarily because they do not speak French. Although both the premier and the immigration minister publicly apologized for their words, the public still had mixed feelings about these controversial remarks. 

As immigration policy becomes more mainstream, the public becomes more attentive to the words chosen by its government. The consequences of this are an upheaval in negative public opinion, and even distrust of the government. Canada has historically been characterized as a country founded upon immigration, meaning that immigration is bound to be important in the long-term outcomes of the nation. This means that Québec should also follow in the federal government’s footsteps when considering its approach to immigration.