Canada-Quebec Accord
Encyclopedia
The Canada-Quebec Accord is a legal agreement concerning immigration issues between the federal government of Canada
and the Province of Quebec
. The broad accord signed in 1991 preceded similar agreements with other provinces including British Columbia
and Manitoba
. The arrangement gives Quebec the exclusive responsibility of choosing immigrants and refugees still living in their foreign countries but wishing to relocate to the province. Selected applicants are issued “certificat de sélection du Québec”. Citizenship and Immigration Canada issues the actual visa after background and health verifications. The provinces also have agreements with the federal government where they can nominate individuals to immigration to their province, similar to the way Quebec does.
New immigrants are entitled to settlement assistance such as free language training under provincial government administered programs usually called Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada
(LINC), for which the federal government has budgeted about $350 million to give to the provinces for the fiscal year 2006-2007. The majority of the $350 million is allocated to Quebec
under the Canada-Quebec Accord, at $196 million per year, even though immigration to Quebec represented only 16.5% of all immigration to Canada in 2005. The $350 million is budgeted to increase by an additional $90 million by 2009.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and the Province of Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
. The broad accord signed in 1991 preceded similar agreements with other provinces including British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
and Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
. The arrangement gives Quebec the exclusive responsibility of choosing immigrants and refugees still living in their foreign countries but wishing to relocate to the province. Selected applicants are issued “certificat de sélection du Québec”. Citizenship and Immigration Canada issues the actual visa after background and health verifications. The provinces also have agreements with the federal government where they can nominate individuals to immigration to their province, similar to the way Quebec does.
New immigrants are entitled to settlement assistance such as free language training under provincial government administered programs usually called Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada
Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada
The Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada is a free Canadian government language education programme regulated by Citizenship and Immigration Canada which offers full-time and part-time English and French language lessons to adult permanent residents.-External links:*...
(LINC), for which the federal government has budgeted about $350 million to give to the provinces for the fiscal year 2006-2007. The majority of the $350 million is allocated to Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
under the Canada-Quebec Accord, at $196 million per year, even though immigration to Quebec represented only 16.5% of all immigration to Canada in 2005. The $350 million is budgeted to increase by an additional $90 million by 2009.