Efforts to increase immigration in Canada face mixed reactions in Quebec, where the province's identity is threatened. Canada has the highest proportion of immigrants among G7 countries, with immigrants accounting for 23% of the population. The federal government plans to welcome 1.5 million immigrants by the end of 2025 to address labor shortages and ensure demographic growth. However, Quebec's legislature has formally disapproved of this plan, citing concerns about preserving the province's French-speaking heritage.
Quebec is the only province where Francophones represent a majority, and the fear of newcomers accelerating the decline of the French language has fueled public debates on immigration. The issue has been further fueled by high levels of spontaneous arrivals, particularly at Roxham Road, an unofficial crossing point from New York State to Quebec where asylum seekers have been arriving. The Canadian and U.S. governments revised their Safe Third Country Agreement to close a loophole incentivizing irregular border crossings.
Quebec has historically prioritized the French language, and the government has adopted laws to enhance its social, cultural, and economic status. The federal government sets annual immigration levels, but Quebec has its own process for selecting immigrants based on its recruitment criteria. Quebec tends to select immigrants who have French as their first language, but it also admits temporary workers, international students, and asylum seekers.
Quebec's language policies, particularly the Charter of the French Language, have had an impact on immigrants and their children's education. The charter established French as the normal language of work, instruction, communication, commerce, and business. Immigrant children are generally educated in the French school system unless one parent has received primary education in English in Canada.
The Quebec government recently updated the Charter of the French Language with Bill 96, which further prioritizes the French language. The law establishes new linguistic rights and requires reception services to be offered only in French six months after an immigrant's arrival. It also sets limits on English-language instruction in public technical and vocational colleges.
Concerns about the preservation of the French language, the integration capacity of the host society, and demography influence debates about immigration in Quebec. Many political and social leaders in Quebec see immigration as contributing to the decline of French in the province and seek to maintain the demographic weight of Francophones and promote French as the main language in public and private spaces. The perception that the French language is under threat has been growing, leading to increased support for strengthening the Charter of the French Language.
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