Immigrants: their mother tongue shouldn't matter; it’s what we do with them that does

This morning, the Journal de Montréal’s Lise Ravary wrote a column denouncing comments made by PQ candidate, Jean-Francois Lisée.


Regarding immigration to Quebec, he said: « Un Chinois de Shanghai qui connait le français ne devrait pas être égal à un type de Bordeaux en France aux yeux des autorités de l’immigration. » (A Chinese immigrant from Shanghai who understands French should not be seen as equal to someone from Bordeaux, France, in the eyes of immigration authorities.)

The reasoning, according to Lisée, is that someone whose mother tongue is French would, not only be able to better integrate, but would also live in French. The implication, of course being, that those whose first language isn’t French, only “pretend” to live in French. Egad! I’ve finally been outed!

There is much to criticize about this argument. But first, let me do something that I don’t do often; let me defend Lisée. On some basic and fundamental level, I understand what he’s trying to say. If Quebec’s ultimate goal is the preservation of its French language and culture, it would make sense that someone who already speaks that language 24/7 would theoretically be a better candidate than someone who simply professes some rudimentary knowledge of French so they can pass the immigration test and gain access to a Canadian passport. I understand the impulse to believe this to be true, because it makes life simpler and neater. If we do A, we get B. No surprises, no defections to Ontario after a year, no government money spent wooing immigrants, only to have them be a drain on our economy.

After all, the Canada-Quebec accord, (signed in 1991, granting Quebec sole responsibility to select all independent immigrants and refugees abroad who want to live in the province), was proposed and fought, for exactly such reasons of self-determination. The province wanted more control over its immigration policy so it would be able to select those deemed better suited for life and subsequent success here. Comprehension of the French language, understandably, would be one of the many selection criteria.

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