1. How well do Canada’s immigration laws and policies respond to immigration issues?

2. Introduction From 2006 to 2008, Alberta had one of the fastest growing economies in Canada. As a result, the Alberta government implemented a policy to attract and retain skilled workers from abroad. The aim of the province is to attract at least 24 000 immigrants to Alberta each year.

3. The Alberta government has an official immigration website. People from all over the world can read about Alberta and learn what makes Alberta such a desirable destination for many immigrants.

4. Immigration is a federal government responsibility. The provinces, however, have immigration deals with the federal government to help to speed up the process of attaining skilled workers. Each province has developed its own plan, under the Provincial Nominee Program, to meet its needs for immigration. The Provincial Nominee Program is set up to streamline and speed up the process of immigration to the provinces. In Alberta, the province has created the Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program. This program is designed to attract skilled workers to the province.

5. Complete the assignment: How do provinces influence immigration laws and policies?

6. The Canada- Quebec Accord

7. Introduction Because Canada is such a geographically vast nation, the provinces have differing immigration needs. As a result, the provincial governments have established Provincial Nomination Programs to inform the federal government of particular needs. The federal government can then use these nominations to guide its immigration policy. What about Quebec? Let’s examine Québec’s very unique needs and challenges that require its own immigration policy.

8. Canada-Quebec Accord Here are some facts about Quebec you may not have known: Territorially, it is the largest province in Canada. (Nunavut is larger, but it is a territory.) It has a population of 7 560 592 people, according to a 2005 census. It has the largest French population outside of France.

9. Québec is just one of the Canadian provinces that has its own immigration minister. Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and British Columbia also have immigration ministers. These ministers are directly responsible for immigration into their respective provinces. With Québec being a Francophone province, it is important that the immigration minister works to ensure that Québec maintains its population of Francophones. This can be partially achieved by the immigration of Francophones from French-speaking nations.

10. One strategy is to provide free French-language training as soon as immigrants arrive in Québec. The children of immigrants also attend free French- language public schools. However, not all families choose to educate their children in French. This is one of the many challenges related to immigration that Québec is faced with.

11. To further the goals of a French-speaking Québec, the provincial government worked with the federal government. In 1991, the federal government and Québec signed the Canada-Québec Accord. This made Québec the first province in Canada to have an immigration agreement with the federal government.

12. What did this agreement entail? The Canada-Québec Accord gives the provincial government of Québec the responsibility of selecting immigrants and refugees still living in foreign countries who have applied to immigrate. Once selected, the immigrants must still pass the medical and security qualifications specified by the federal government before they receive their visas and enter Québec.

13. The goal of the Canada-Québec Accord is to ensure that French-speaking immigrants come to Québec. The idea behind the accord is if Canada’s French- speaking population equals 20 percent of the total Canadian population, then the French-speaking immigrants should total 20 percent of all immigrants accepted into Canada. Turn to page 191 to read more about the Accord. Be prepared to answer the BTQ with a partner.

14. Assignment: How beneficial is the Canada-Québec Accord to the province of Québec and to the entire nation of Canada? Include the following ideas to assist you in your response: collective rights of official languages provincial role in immigration immigration policy of Canada what might occur if there was no Accord