Quebec’s French Language Commissioner, Benoît Dubreuil, proposed several measures on Wednesday to promote better integration of immigrants in Quebec, including a “mandatory integration program.”
He presented a report to the National Assembly containing his recommendations for future government policy on integration into the Quebec nation and its shared culture.
Dubreuil’s primary goal is to foster greater intercultural understanding in schools. He deplores the Legault government’s elimination of the measure promoting “the integration and success of immigrants” in schools.
“Young people tend to group themselves according to whether or not they come from an immigrant background. This situation encourages prejudice and stereotypes on both sides,” he stated at a press conference.
“Let me give you an example: in a school, they say, ‘There are immigrants on one side, and then there are the Quebecers on the other.’”
To promote these connections, the commissioner recommends, among other things, school twinning programs, joint activities, and school trips within Quebec, instead of going “to Boston or New York.”
The “cornerstone” of better integration: a “mandatory integration pathway,” according to Dubreuil, who is drawing inspiration from Flanders to propose that the government mandate “social participation in French.”
For example, Quebec could require immigrants to complete 40 hours of social activities, failing which they would not be considered for permanent residency, he says.
“Some will say that this adds another burden on newcomers. But (…) if it becomes a requirement, (…) it will change employers’ behavior,” who will do everything they can, he believes, to help immigrants prepare properly.
Furthermore, the Commissioner of the French Language wants Quebec to entrust municipalities with the responsibility of recommending candidates for economic immigration.
“When we approach the municipality to ask them to recommend your application, the municipality will agree because you will be established locally,” he explains.
If nothing is done, Dubreuil believes that “the observed trends could intensify over the coming decades.”
“When I read the report, I see extremely interesting avenues that I will have to explore with my colleagues,” commented Jean-François Roberge, the Minister responsible for the French Language, during a press scrum on Wednesday.
–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews.
