Quebec’s Community Support Programs Get $8 Million Boost to Help Immigrants
In its bid to make Quebec more welcoming for immigrants, Canada’s francophone province is investing more than $8 million into its community support program, also known as the Programme d’appui aux collectivités (PAC).
“With the PAC, we are adding to the tools we can use to attract immigrants and promote the sustainable establishment of immigrants and their loved ones in our regions,” said Nadine Girault, Quebec Immigration Minister.
“We want them to be able to fully participate in the vitality of all of our regions and help them contribute their quota to Quebec’s economic recovery.”
As the coronavirus pandemic raged throughout Canada last year, immigration decreased to a trickle – and Quebec was not spared the hit.
Quebec Immigration Decreases By More Than A Third
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (RCC) figures shows the number of newcomers who made Quebec their home fell by almost 37.9 percent last year, to 25,195 from 40,565 the last year.
Of those who did come to live in Quebec last year, almost a quarter, 30.8 percent, came via family sponsorship programs. That’s 7,765 new permanent residence under Canada’s family sponsorship programs to arrived in Quebec in 2020.
Monday, Nadine Girault announced a call for proposals within its PAC to help these new permanent residents feel at home. Non-profits and co-ops are being invited to lodge proposals to supports the integration of immigrants in all aspects of settling into their new french communities.
“This program, whose second volley supports non-profits and cooperatives that daily contribute the success of immigrants, is yet another way our government supports their integration into the labour force and community life,” said Nadine Girault.
“Quebec province will be able to count on these successes which will be profitable both for these new immigrants and the new communities that welcome them.”
Quebec Province Spent $7.1 Million Through PAC Last Year
The first volley of this program to support immigrants was introduced last October. It resulted in the provincial government investing almost $7.1 million in sixty-eight (68) projects spread throughout Seventy-six (76) municipalities and regional municipalities.
Quebec’s system of supports to immigrants offers services in Seventy-two (72) outlets throughout the province.
The Programme d’appui aux collectivités replaces the former Programme Mobilisation-Diversité which had been in place since 2012.
The second volley of the Programme d’appui aux collectivités comes only weeks after Quebec announces its latest Immigration Procedures Guide, the Guide des procédure d’immigration in French on its website.
New Quebec Immigration Guide
Among the topics included in the new guide is the controversial values test for newcomers.
In 2019, the ruling political party in Quebec used its majority in the National Assembly to pass Bill 9, a reform immigration bill that imposed on newcomers a values test. It came into force in January last year.
The new guide says that foreign nationals and the members of their families over eighteen (18) years of age who are coming to Quebec need to show that they have learned about democratic values and Quebec values as stated in the Quebec Charter of human rights and freedom, the Charte des droits et libertés de la personne, unless prevented from doing so by a medical condition.
