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<h1 class="entry-title gmail-s-post-title gmail-bb-mb-el">Quebec relaxes French language requirements for high tech immigrant entrepreneurs</h1><h2 class="entry-summary entry-sub-title gmail-s-post-summary gmail-bb-mb-el">Quebec's
Liberal government has relaxed French language requirements to allow a
small number of anglophone startups to set up shop in the province.</h2><hr class="gmail-bb-separator gmail-s-post-header-sep gmail-bb-mb-el"><div class="gmail-s-post-meta-block gmail-bb-mb-el"><div class="gmail-post-meta-content gmail-row"><div class="gmail-d-table-center-sm"><div class="gmail-col-l gmail-d-table-cell gmail-col-md-6 gmail-col-sm-6 gmail-text-left-sm"><div class="gmail-bb-author-vcard-mini gmail-size-md"><div class="gmail-author-avatar"><a href="https://www.thepostmillennial.com/members/dtharris/"><img alt="Dean Tea" src="https://www.thepostmillennial.com/wp-content/uploads/avatars/280/5b801e5e2375f-bpthumb.jpg" class="gmail-avatar gmail-avatar-66 gmail-photo" width="66" height="66"></a></div><div class="gmail-author-info"> <span class="gmail-auth-name"> <span class="gmail-auth-byline">by</span> <a class="gmail-auth-url" href="https://www.thepostmillennial.com/members/dtharris/"> <span>Dean Tea</span> </a> </span><span class="gmail-auth-posted-on">21 hours ago21 hours ago</span></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="gmail-bb-post-share-box gmail-s-post-share-box gmail-top gmail-bb-mb-el"><div class="gmail-content gmail-has-share-buttons"><div class="gmail-bb-post-rating gmail-post-rating gmail-js-post-point"><div class="gmail-inner"> </div></div></div></div> <div class="gmail-bb-post-share-box gmail-s-post-share-box gmail-top gmail-bb-mb-el"><div class="gmail-content gmail-has-share-buttons"><div class="gmail-bb-post-rating gmail-post-rating gmail-js-post-point"><div class="gmail-inner"> <span class="gmail-count"> <span class="gmail-text" label="points">0</span> </span></div></div><div class="essb_links essb_counters essb_displayed_boombox essb_share essb_template_jumbo-retina essb_198212061 essb_width_flex essb_links_center gmail-print-no" id="essb_displayed_boombox_198212061"><ul class="essb_links_list essb_force_hide_name essb_force_hide"><li class="essb_item essb_totalcount_item"><span class="essb_totalcount essb_t_l_big essb_total_icon essb_icon_share-tiny" title=""><span class="essb_t_nb">43<span class="essb_t_nb_after">shares</span></span></span></li><li class="essb_item essb_link_facebook gmail-nolightbox"> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https://www.thepostmillennial.com/quebec-relaxes-french-language-requirements-for-high-tech-immigrant-entrepreneurs/&t=Quebec+relaxes+French+language+requirements+for+high+tech+immigrant+entrepreneurs" title="" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"><span class="essb_icon essb_icon_facebook"></span></a><span class="essb_counter_hidden"></span><br></li><li class="essb_item essb_link_twitter gmail-nolightbox"> <a href="https://www.thepostmillennial.com/quebec-relaxes-french-language-requirements-for-high-tech-immigrant-entrepreneurs/#" title="" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"><span class="essb_icon essb_icon_twitter"></span></a><span class="essb_counter_hidden"></span><br></li><li class="essb_item essb_link_reddit gmail-nolightbox"> <a href="http://reddit.com/submit?url=https://www.thepostmillennial.com/quebec-relaxes-french-language-requirements-for-high-tech-immigrant-entrepreneurs/&title=Quebec+relaxes+French+language+requirements+for+high+tech+immigrant+entrepreneurs" title="" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"><span class="essb_icon essb_icon_reddit"></span></a><span class="essb_counter_hidden"></span><br></li><li class="essb_item essb_link_more gmail-nolightbox"> <a href="https://www.thepostmillennial.com/quebec-relaxes-french-language-requirements-for-high-tech-immigrant-entrepreneurs/#" title="" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"><span class="essb_icon essb_icon_more"></span></a><span class="essb_counter_hidden"></span><br></li></ul></div></div></div><div class="gmail-bb-media-placeholder" style="padding-bottom:50%"><img src="https://www.thepostmillennial.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Untitled-design-min-10.jpg" class="gmail-attachment-boombox_image768 gmail-size-boombox_image768 gmail-wp-post-image" alt="" width="720" height="360"></div><div class="gmail-s-post-content gmail-s-post-small-el gmail-bb-mb-el"><div class="gmail-fr-view"><div class="gmail-quads-location gmail-quads-ad4" id="gmail-quads-ad4" style="float:none;margin:3px"> <a class="gmail-dbox-donation-button" href="https://donorbox.org/the-post-millennial-author-donation?amount=30" style="background:rgb(45,129,197) url("https://d1iczxrky3cnb2.cloudfront.net/red_logo.png") no-repeat scroll 18px center;color:rgb(255,255,255);text-decoration:none;font-family:Verdana,sans-serif;display:inline-block;font-size:16px;padding:13px 17px 13px 56px">Donate </a><span style="color:rgb(124,142,164)"> All donations go towards promoting independent journalism and</span> <a href="https://www.sickkidsfoundation.com">this month's charity.</a></div><p>Thanks to a <a href="https://www.ledevoir.com/economie/533628/immigration-quebec-ouvre-la-porte-aux-entrepreneurs-anglophones">recent policy change by the Quebec Ministry of Immigration</a>,
Diversity and Inclusion under the Liberal government of Philippe
Couillard, a small number of entrepreneurs will be allowed to immigrate
to the province, absent a knowledge of the French language.</p><p>This
marks a departure from the province’s established immigration policy,
requiring a knowledge of French. The new policy that took effect on
August 2 will allow entrepreneurs launching high tech startups to set up
shop in Quebec, satisfying only an English language requirement.</p><h5>Anglophone entrepreneurs bring economic benefits</h5><p>It’s an initiative that is being praised for the economic benefits that it could bring to Quebec. While the <em>startup visa </em>class will
bring only 25 entrepreneurs to the province, its proponents stress the
fact that the success of even one startup couldr esult in the creation
of hundreds or thousands of high tech jobs in a metropolitan area like
Montréal.</p><p>A recognition of potential economic benefits that could
come with a relaxing of language requirements associated with Quebec’s
immigration policy must also admit to a certain extent how the current
policy favouring French over English turns away a large number of not
only high tech entrepreneurs, but all sorts of qualified immigrants for
no other reason than that they don’t speak French. These immigrants –
job creators and potential taxpayers – are, as a result, lost to other
provinces and other countries.</p><div class="gmail-quads-location gmail-quads-ad2" id="gmail-quads-ad2" style="float:none;margin:3px"> <ins class="gmail-adsbygoogle" style="display:block;height:90px"><ins id="gmail-aswift_0_expand" style="display:inline-table;border:medium none;height:90px;margin:0px;padding:0px;width:799px;background-color:transparent"><ins id="gmail-aswift_0_anchor" style="display:block;border:medium none;height:90px;margin:0px;padding:0px;width:799px;background-color:transparent"></ins></ins></ins> </div><h5>Quebec sets its own immigration policies</h5><p>Quebec
operates under an immigration system that is distinct from that of
other Canadian provinces. The immigration dossier remains a shared
jurisdiction between the federal and provincial governments, but
following a series of agreements signed with the federal government
since the 1960s, Quebec has gained the power to determine certain
immigration criteria, including linguistic requirements. The federal
government maintains responsibility for setting the number of immigrants
admitted into the country each year, and takes into consideration the
number of immigrants Quebec wants to accept, as well as the admission
criteria set by the province.</p><h5>Election posturing?</h5><p>The announcement of this change in Quebec’s immigration policy comes only two months ahead of a <a href="https://www.thepostmillennial.com/quebec-premier-couillard-confirms-launch-date-for-election-campaign/">provincial election this October</a>.
Some have criticized the move as being nothing more than a symbolic act
meant to attract the support of English speaking voters and other
Quebecois opposed to strict regulation of language use.</p><p align="left">Defenders
of French language requirements for immigrants to Quebec argue that
such a policy is necessary in order to ensure a well-integrated society.
A debate on this subject has been recently renewed in the public
discourse following <a href="https://www.thepostmillennial.com/mad-maxime-bernier-facing-scrutiny-over-tweets-on-excessive-multiculturalism/">comments made by Maxime Bernier about multiculturalism</a>. It’s a debate that leads us to pose some sincere questions.</p><div class="gmail-quads-location gmail-quads-ad1" id="gmail-quads-ad1" style="float:none;margin:3px"> <ins class="gmail-adsbygoogle" style="display:block;height:90px"><ins id="gmail-aswift_1_expand" style="display:inline-table;border:medium none;height:90px;margin:0px;padding:0px;width:799px;background-color:transparent"><ins id="gmail-aswift_1_anchor" style="display:block;border:medium none;height:90px;margin:0px;padding:0px;width:799px;background-color:transparent"></ins></ins></ins> </div><h5 align="left">By which criteria should we determine the admissibility of immigrants to a society?</h5><p align="left">Mr.
Bernier suggests that new immigrants should share – or at least not
reject – certain fundamental cultural values of the host society. Could
it be said that language constitutes a fundamental value of a society?
What about style of dress, music or literature?<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UVUnUnWfHI&feature=youtu.be&t=472">As observed by Jordan Peterson</a>, when we subscribe to identity politics and the doctrine of <em>intersectionality</em>, it becomes impossible to parse out where one group identity ends and another begins.</p><div class="gmail-quads-location gmail-quads-ad1" id="gmail-quads-ad1" style="float:none;margin:3px"> <ins class="gmail-adsbygoogle" style="display:block;height:90px"><ins id="gmail-aswift_2_expand" style="display:inline-table;border:medium none;height:90px;margin:0px;padding:0px;width:799px;background-color:transparent"><ins id="gmail-aswift_2_anchor" style="display:block;border:medium none;height:90px;margin:0px;padding:0px;width:799px;background-color:transparent"></ins></ins></ins> </div><h5 align="left">What constitutes a society that should have the right to set is own criteria for admission?</h5><p align="left">If,
as suggested by the federalist Member of Parliament from Beauce, a
society should define certain core values and require new members to
accept said values, does this principle apply just as much to Quebec
society as it does to greater Canadian society? After all, it was the
Harper Conservatives that <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/house-passes-motion-recognizing-quebecois-as-nation-1.574359">recognized Quebec as a distinct nation</a> within a united Canada in 2006.</p><h5 align="left">What about big cities with political cultures that differ significantly from that of the rest of their province?</h5><p align="left">Following the victory of Doug Ford and the Progressive Conservative Party in Ontario this year, we heard <a href="https://www.blogto.com/city/2018/07/toronto-might-secede-ontario-and-become-its-own-province/">calls for a more independent, or even sovereign Toronto</a>.
We’ve seen a similar phenomenon in the United States, where some mayors
have declared their jurisdictions sanctuary cities in response to
enforcement of federal immigration laws. Why not allow provincial
governments, or big cities to set their own immigration policies?</p></div></div>
<br>-- <br><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature">=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+<br><br> Harold F. Schiffman<br><br>Professor Emeritus of <br> Dravidian Linguistics and Culture <br>Dept. of South Asia Studies <br>University of Pennsylvania<br>Philadelphia, PA 19104-6305<br><br>Phone: (215) 898-7475<br>Fax: (215) 573-2138 <br><br>Email: <a href="mailto:haroldfs@gmail.com">haroldfs@gmail.com</a><br><a href="http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~haroldfs/">http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~haroldfs/</a> <br><br>-------------------------------------------------</div></div>