Quebec's guardianship of history and language

Recently we wrote about Quebecers ыекщтпдн defendштп their language and history. At times it even becomes an attempt to separate from Canada and create an independent state.

So at a recent press conference, Québec Prime Minister François Legault made several statements about the French language and history of Québec that are related to demands to migrate to the province from abroad.

"My first responsibility as premier of Quebec is to make sure that our identity is protected. I am the only head of state in America who represents a majority of French speakers, so I have a responsibility to history,  to protect and to continue this 400-year journey of a Francophone nation," Legault said during a press conference.

The plan includes several measures that will tighten the requirements for French language proficiency, including:

1. Making it mandatory for economic immigrants to have at least an intermediate knowledge of French (previously they could earn points for knowledge of French but it wasn't obligatory). 
2. Boosting French-language knowledge requirements for temporary foreign workers and foreign students under the Quebec Experience Program, also known as the PEQ. 
3. Requiring people that sponsor relatives coming to Quebec under the family reunification program to submit an "integration plan" for relatives aged 18-55 for learning French.

The head of Québec wants all 100% of those coming to the province to be able to speak and write French. His comment is this.

"For many years now, we see year after year, the percentage of francophones in Quebec decreasing. I think if we want to make sure long term that we still speak French in Quebec, it's important that we stop this decrease and start seeing an increase."

As for the conditions, the level of French proficiency required from economic immigrants will vary depending on the type of work for which they are hired. And since everyone has different levels of education, the requirements for manual workers have been lowered.

The plan also allows exceptions for people with "exceptional talents," defined as "rare and unique expertise that could contribute to economic prosperity."

Now the government is considering two scenarios for provincial immigration: maintaining the annual rate of 50,000 immigrants per year until 2027, or gradually increasing the number of immigrants to 60,000 by 2027.

Notably, at the end of October 2022, Lego called plans "dangerous" to attract such large numbers of immigrants.