Social Changes
Demographics, Women, Work
This page is under construction.
While we are preparing additional document collections and activities for this topic, we are including translated texts by our RECIT partners, to accompany our adaptation of their video on the Aging of the Population of Québec.
French originals at RECITUS at LA POPULATION QUÉBÉCOISE DEPUIS 1980 under C.C. License BY-NC-SA
Demographics - Population Changes
Source: Translation of RECITUS at LA POPULATION QUÉBÉCOISE DEPUIS 1980 under C.C. License BY-NC-SA
Parlement du Québec: Source : Service national du RÉCIT, domaine de l’univers social. Licence : Creative Commons (BY-NC-SA).
Parlement du Canada: Source : Service national du RÉCIT, domaine de l’univers social. Licence : Creative Commons (BY-NC-SA).
Demographics - Immigration
In the 1980s, the Québec government continued its efforts to obtain greater autonomy in immigration matters, an area of jurisdiction shared with the federal government. In 1991, the two levels of government signed the Canada-Québec Accord. This agreement confirmed that the provincial government could select all immigrants entering Quebec according to its own criteria, which included knowledge of the French language. The agreement also gives the Québec government responsibility for integrating new arrivals into Québec society. Integration involves, among other things, integrating these new Québecers into the labour market and francizing those who do not know French.
In contemporary Québec, new arrivals continue to face the challenges of integrating into their host society. Many immigrants must first learn a new language in order to communicate with their fellow citizens and find a job to participate in the economy. Integrating new arrivals into the labour market is sometimes difficult because employers do not always recognise their diplomas and work experience.
Text: Translation of RECITUS at LA POPULATION QUÉBÉCOISE DEPUIS 1980 under C.C. License BY-NC-SA
Source : Service national du RÉCIT, domaine de l’univers social. Licence : Creative Commons (BY-NC-SA).
Quebec immigration by country of birth, 2015-2019
Dark grey: other countries. Red: China. Orange: France. Grey: Syria. Yellow: Algeria. Dark blue: Iran. Pale blue: Haiti. Blue: Cameroon. Green: India. Brown: Philippines. Dark green: Ivory Coast. Pale orange: Colombia. Green brown: Morocco. Pale blue: Tunisia. Pale grey: Lebanon. Yellow: Egypt.
Data source: Ministère de l'Immigration, de la Francisation et de l'Intégration, 2015-2019 Tableaux de l'immigration permanente au Québec, Gouvernement du Québec, December 2020, p. 23, online at MIFI.
Graphic source: Service national du RÉCIT, domaine de l'univers social at LA POPULATION QUÉBÉCOISE DEPUIS 1980 under Licence: Creative Commons BY-NC-SA
Immigrants also have to contend with the prejudices of some citizens, whose views are reflected in discrimination or hateful words and actions. To overcome the challenges of integration, immigrants continue to rely on their cultural communities, many of which have been part of Québec society for generations.
Since the adoption of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, people who are discriminated against because of their beliefs, religion or disability can more easily turn to the courts to defend themselves. To avoid discrimination, the courts grant accommodations such as adapting the work environment to an employee's disability or authorising time off for workers on religious holidays.
In the 2000s, certain accommodations received media coverage, sparking debate about the place of religion in the public sphere and the application of religious neutrality by the Quebec state. Since the 2010s, provincial governments have taken their turn at trying to strengthen secularism in public institutions, notably by banning the wearing of religious symbols by people in positions of authority.
Text: Translation of RECITUS at LA POPULATION QUÉBÉCOISE DEPUIS 1980 under C.C. License BY-NC-SA.
See more at Warren, J. (2021). Secularism in Quebec. In The Canadian Encyclopedia.