Fears over a declining French-Canadian population underpins the identity politics behind Quebec’s Bill 21, which bans religious symbols in the public service. It also has the potential to undermine the federal government’s new, and economically unjustifiable, plan to boost immigration to 400,000 immigrants annually for the next three years and presumably beyond.
Ironically, Quebec already has control over immigration to the province and favours French-language speakers. The province also requires immigrant children to attend French-language schools. And yet, the shift appears unrelenting, as immigrants, as well as some francophones, continue to opt for English.
Bill 96 aims to stop this slide toward English. It would require retailers to deal with customers predominantly in French, force immigrants to interact with the government in French only after six months in the country and restrict the growing proportion of francophone Quebecers who are switching to English-language CEGEPs for their post-secondary education. (In 2017, a Quebec auditor general’s report estimated that only one-third of new arrivals were signing up for French-language courses and 90 per cent of graduates were unable to operate in French.)
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