By Ruby Pratka

Local Journalism Initiative

The Coalition Avenir Québec government took another step to distance itself – and the province – from Canadian multiculturalism last week when it passed Bill 84, An Act respecting integration into the Quebec nation.

“For the first time, we are enacting our model, which is called national integration. And we are returning Canadian multiculturalism to where it should have remained, that is, in the limbo of history,” minister for the French language Jean-François Roberge told a National Assembly press conference. “It is a model that has always been harmful to Quebec.”

The stated purpose of the bill, introduced in January, is to “establish the Quebec national integration model, which fosters the vitality and preservation of Quebec culture as the common culture and vector for social cohesion.” Notably, the bill amends the Quebec Charter of Rights and Freedoms to ensure that rights and freedoms are “exercised in accordance with the Quebec model,” and says government grants must be distributed in a manner “consistent with the Quebec national integration model or one of its foundations.” The state is expected to “take measures aimed at ensuring the preservation, vitality and sharing of the French language and Quebec culture” The law sets out a series of obligations for municipalities, schools and publicly funded organizations to contribute to the integration of newcomers; individual Quebecers are also expected to “collaborate in welcoming immigrants and foster immigrants’ integration into the Quebec nation.” Under the law, the government will develop a national integration policy before the 2026 election.

The bill states that the law will be applied in a way that recognizes Indigenous rights and is “respectful of the institutions of the English-speaking community of Quebec.” It also enshrines into law a “common culture,” characterized by “distinct social values” and the importance of equality between women and men, state secularism and French as the common language. It describes Quebec culture as the “crucible” that enables Quebecers to form a united nation. It lays out a list of expectations for immigrants – they’re expected to learn French if they don’t already speak it, participate in the vitality of Quebec culture and “participate fully, in French, in Quebec society.”

Roberge rejected arguments that the bill encouraged immigrants to assimilate. “We want people who come here from everywhere to be able to bring their colour, to make their contribution from their culture of origin,” he told reporters. He said the law laid out a “social contract” that immigrants should be aware of before moving to the province. “They arrive here knowing that they have duties, responsibilities, … that the government has responsibilities, but that they must accept this social contract. Otherwise, well, it’s not a good idea to come here.” 

The law passed without the support of Québec Solidaire and the Liberals. Liberal immigration critic André A. Morin criticized Roberge for opening the door to changes to the Quebec Charter of Rights and Freedoms and for not holding extensive consultations on the law. “For me as an MNA and a jurist, the idea that we will temporize Charter rights [in accordance with] a model that will be refined by a policy that hasn’t been written yet, I’m not giving you a blank cheque.”

“If you want people to recognize themselves in this law, then consult them,” he added. “I said make a wider consultation, and that’s not provided for in the law. … This says, ‘We’ll make a policy but we won’t consult you, just trust us. That’s wrong.”

The Ligue des droits et libertés (LDL) and the Table de concertation des organismes au service des personnes réfugiées et immigrantes (TCRI) issued a joint statement criticizing the law, calling it a “deliberate attack on the system of the protection of human rights in Quebec.”

“There are still serious problems with the assimilationist nature of Bill 84, the reduction of rights in favour of values, the attacks on charters and the rights of the population, as well as serious concerns for the autonomy of the community,” they said.

“Although it is difficult to anticipate the legal scope of the amendments made to the Quebec Charter, they could establish a hierarchy of rights and threaten several human rights, including the right to equality and freedoms of conscience, expression and religion,” said LDL head of political dossiers Paul-Etienne Rainville.