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Montreal Gazette
6 days ago
- Politics
- Montreal Gazette
Quebec can't afford to be ‘the most generous welfare state in North America'
The Corner Booth On Wednesday, the Coalition Avenir Québec government pledged to invest $540 million into student services — less than one month after it was met with fierce backlash for slashing $570 million in education funding. While former senator André Pratte is 'happy for the education system,' he says this flip-flopping by Quebec means more drastic cuts are on the horizon. 'We can't afford everything that we want from the government of Quebec, as a society. I'm all for government intervention in many different fields, but we have to choose (to take) into account our means, to pay for all this,' Pratte told hosts Bill Brownstein and Aaron Rand on this week's episode of The Corner Booth, where he discussed his latest op-ed for The Gazette: A welfare state Quebecers cannot afford. 'This $540 million that they just found, they need to take from somewhere else.'
Montreal Gazette
7 days ago
- Politics
- Montreal Gazette
Drimonis: Amid immigration crackdown, it's callous to target family reunifications
When the Quebec government announced this month it had reached its cap for family reunification sponsorships, and that the province was suspending new applications until June 25, 2026, the faces of all the in-limbo couples I've interviewed over the past few years flashed before my eyes. My heart sank for them. I thought of Evgeny and his wife, Anastasiia. Jean-Sébastien and his husband, Paolo. Léa and her husband, Ilkay. The Quebecer-half of these couples are now paying the price for having fallen in love and married a foreigner and wanting to start a life with them here. I thought of all the other unknown couples still separated, not to mention those who have left the province, unwilling to put their lives on hold because of unreasonable delays. The Immigration Ministry's suspension of applications didn't come as a surprise. The Coalition Avenir Québec government had already announced it was slashing applications by half until June 2026 and would process a maximum of 13,000 applications on a first come, first served basis, leaving 40,000 couples reeling. This most recent announcement can be expected to create more backlogs next year. Quebec's processing times are nothing to be proud of, according to a study prepared for Québec réunifié, a non-partisan organization supporting these families. Whereas for the rest of Canada the study put the average wait times for family reunifications at 12 months, the Quebec figures were up to three times greater to bring over a spouse or a child from abroad. Further, Quebec wait times were found to be the worst among G7 and G20 countries the study examined. Not the kind of global list I want to see Quebec topping. Marie-Gervaise Pilon, a spokesperson for Québec réunifié, was lucky enough to succeed in bringing her husband William here from England last year — and stubbornly continues to fight for couples still separated. The teacher has spent a good chunk of her summer vacation online raising awareness and dispeling myths about family reunification. The 'green card marriage' is one of those myths. 'The level of scrutiny at Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada is so high that if someone were trying to 'con' the system they're better off attempting to apply in another category,' says Pilon, who notes that family reunification affects primarily partners and children — young people who are net contributors and rarely a large burden on our social services. Setting limits on family reunification is something I will never understand. Splitting up families, sometimes for years on end, seems inhumane to me. Even if the Legault government favours the performative optics of 'cracking down' on immigration, family reunification should be the last area to target. Those who have sponsors are less of a financial burden on the system and already have a place to live and built-in integration system thanks to those sponsors. Ironically, in the revised Skilled Worker Selection Program, the Immigration Ministry acknowledges that having family ties in Quebec is among the factors key to successful adaptation for applicants. Arbitrarily limiting this category seems punitive and nonsensical — especially in light of a recent Léger poll showing 64 per cent of Quebecers agree family reunification should be prioritized. In anticipation of public consultations on Quebec's immigration plan for 2026–2029, Québec réunifié is documenting the real-life mental-health and economic impacts of sponsorship processing delays, hoping to convince the government to show a little more reason. And heart. Pilon is right to call the government's moves 'callous.' She says the latest news has been met with 'anger and tears.' Newlyweds, she tells me, are the ones most affected by the suspension. 'When we see families torn apart by ICE in the U.S. right now, we're understandably horrified,' she says. 'Just because these families are not forcibly separated by police officers does not make it OK or any less brutal. It's still bureaucratic violence.'
Montreal Gazette
11-07-2025
- Business
- Montreal Gazette
Quebec fines LaSalle College $30 million for having too many English-speaking students
The Quebec government has fined LaSalle College $30 million for enrolling too many English-speaking students during the past two academic years. The province accuses the college of contravening the province's French Language Charter, as amended by the Coalition Avenir Québec government's Bill 96. The legislation limits the number of students that CEGEPs are permitted to enrol in their English-language programs. The fines threaten the future of the college, its administration says. In a letter to LaSalle College dated June 28, 2024, Quebec's department of higher education said the school was surpassing its cap of 716 English-program students for the 2023-24 academic year. The college, it said, has to reimburse $8.78 million in excess public subsidies it received. The ministry accused the college of surpassing its English-language cap by 1,066 students for the 2024-25 academic year and ordered the college to pay back $21.11 million. The college says it is contesting the fine in the Quebec Superior Court. The college, which has campuses in downtown Montreal and Laval, was founded in Montreal in 1959. It is a private and subsidized institution offering college and pre-university programs. This story was originally published
Montreal Gazette
08-07-2025
- Politics
- Montreal Gazette
Hanes: Report conflates political tensions with religious conflict at CEGEPs
When Higher Education Minister Pascale Déry dispatched investigators to Dawson and Vanier colleges last December, her stated aim was to ensure the 'physical and psychological well-being of students' was being respected on those campuses amid strife over the Israel-Hamas war. Nearly seven months later, that probe found a 'deteriorating' and 'toxic climate' caused in part by militant student groups and politicized course content. But it also seems to have turned into a fishing expedition, dredging up all kinds of flotsam and jetsam that may well have caught the government's eye, but strays from the original purpose. The ministry report also blames prayer rooms and religious accommodations for contributing to 'radicalization and proselytism' that 'accentuate tensions' at the two English colleges, though it offers scant evidence and few examples to back these claims. The recommendation that Quebec's secularism laws be reinforced at CEGEPs is a red herring that will do little to ease the very real strains roiling academic institutions. It conflates political polarization with religious friction. And it conveniently provides new fodder for the Coalition Avenir Québec government's desire to expand secularism legislation, further restricting minority rights. There is no doubt that the animosity on Quebec college and university campuses is a serious matter that deserves to be addressed. Since the terror group Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, sparking the relentless bombardment of Gaza, many academic institutions have struggled to uphold the rights to protest and of free expression while ensuring students and staff of all backgrounds feel secure. Whether it's here in Montreal, where pro-Palestinian protesters took over the front lawn of McGill University for much of last summer, or demonstrations on campuses across North America, there are no easy answers for keeping the peace. The ministry report acknowledges these challenges. In 71 pages, it examines various policies and protocols in place at Dawson and Vanier to respond to complaints that have arisen on campus due to the war in Gaza. And it doesn't find fault with how the administrations handled these complex and tricky situations. When the Hillel Club at Vanier was vandalized on Christmas night of last year, for instance, the administration sprang into action over the Christmas holidays to alert affected students, boost security and organize mental health supports. When Dawson students voted to strike in solidarity with Palestinians last November, the administration acted on a parental complaint about a professor who was alleged to have encouraged his students to take part. The decision to close the college for the day was a last resort after weighing the risks of tensions spiralling out of control. The report doesn't suggest what Vanier or Dawson could have done better or differently under the circumstances. Nevertheless, Déry lamented a 'series of failures that have profoundly undermined the climate at both colleges' in a statement accompanying the report. There were already calls for Déry to resign for ordering a politically motivated witch hunt seen as an attack on academic freedom. The bulk of the recommendations stemming from the investigation venture into touchy territory. They include limiting academic independence because of questions about the validity of a Palestinian literature class and cracking down on student groups that have become politicized. This would require reopening collective agreements and overhauling governance structures because the CEGEPs are constrained by current rules. But such draconian measures could have unintended repercussions on other aspects of college life. Where the report really veers off course, however, is in its focus on secularism. The probe examined with a fine-tooth comb the policies at both Dawson and Vanier for accommodating students when exams or course work conflict with religious holidays not recognized by the school calendar. After spelling them out, it notes simply: 'the two institutions have not received any official complaints on accommodation requests for absences during religious festivals.' What this has to do with angst over the war in Gaza is unclear. The report delves deeper into the history of prayer spaces at both colleges. It notes that there has been a room at Dawson used exclusively by Muslim students for 15 years. When the CEGEP needed to reclaim the area in 2024, it was moved to a temporary location that will likely become its new home. Meanwhile, Jewish students asked for a space of their own in the fall of 2024. 'At this time, a room is under renovation to respect Jewish religious obligations,' the report states. Since the early 2000s, Muslim students have had a prayer room at Vanier with 'a sink for ablutions as well as a separating curtain so women and men don't pray together.' In 2013, there was some talk of converting it to a multi-faith room, but because Muslim students were considered to have an acquired right to the space, no changes have been made. 'How can a prayer room be considered an acquired right in a college that must respect Articles 2 and 3 of the Law on the Secularism of the State, which stipulates that secularism must be respected in fact and in appearance in all government institutions?' the investigators wonder. It is worth noting that CEGEP Garneau and CEGEP Ste-Foy also have temporary or permanent prayer rooms, because colleges are not covered by all the dispositions of Bill 21, Quebec's secularism law. Although the probe didn't spell out how the presence of such facilities at Vanier and Dawson contributed to the anguish over the war in Gaza, it definitely doesn't view them in a favourable light. 'Certain institutions have tried to take steps to promote living together, even if they are contending with a significant lack of space. But far from contributing to better coexistence, this only feeds the climate of radicalization, community withdrawal and mutual distrust within the CEGEP,' the investigation notes. 'Dawson and Vanier are themselves contending with a significant lack of space. … The allocation of a room to one religious group is considered a privilege that can be seen as proselytism and discriminatory towards other religious groups. It is also worth asking questions about the pertinence of prayer rooms in a secular society, especially in the current sociopolitical context.' So is this about space? Is it about tensions on campus? Or is it more about Quebec's secular dogma? Neutrality of the state is an important principle of a modern, Western democracy. Quebecers' aversion to religion is understandable given the long shadow the Catholic Church has cast over the province's history. But this Quebec government has taken secularism to a whole new level with Bill 21, the law forbidding civil servants in positions of authority from wearing religious garb on duty, trampling constitutional and minority rights in the process. The CAQ has made no secret of its desire to go further, introducing Bill 94 to extend dress code provisions to public schools. It has appointed an expert committee to leave no stone unturned in uncovering the influence of religion in other public institutions, including CEGEPs, to pave the way for stricter laws. Putting Dawson and Vanier under the microscope over secularism certainly provides fresh grounds. But it's not useful or helpful to cast strife over the Israel-Hamas war as a purely religious conflict. Yes, Israel is the Jewish state and the Jewish community as a whole has been stigmatized, isolated and even physically attacked as antisemitism surges. True, Palestinians are overwhelmingly Muslim and Islamophobia is also on the rise. But many of those protesting against Israel belong to neither of these faiths. Some Christians, atheists, and even Jews are also opposed to the war in Gaza. This is a sociopolitical movement. The progressive left has been especially active in calling for a ceasefire, pushing for a Palestinian state and delegitimizing Israel. Ignoring the multiple dimensions of these fault lines will not bridge growing divisions on Quebec campuses.
CTV News
04-07-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
Most OQLF complaints related to service in Montreal
The offices of the Office québécois de la langue francaise (OQLF) are seen in Montreal on Nov. 21, 2024. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press) New data published by the Office québécois de la langue française (OQLF) shows most complaints it received are related to being served in a language other than French in Montreal establishments. The French-language watchdog reported receiving 10,371 complaints between April 1, 2024 and March 31, 2025, a new record in the last decade. Since the Coalition Avenir Quebec was elected in 2018, complaints to the OQLF have been steadily rising while the government ramps up French-language protections through legislation like Bill 96, adopted in 2022. Between 2016 and 2017, the OQLF received 2,973 complaints. The number was relatively stable until 2021-2022, when the OQLF received 6,292 complaints. In 2023-2024, that number jumped to 9,125 before this year's all-time high. Of those, 40 per cent were related to service language, 24 per cent concerned commercial documents including websites and job postings, and 18 per cent had to do with signage. Only six per cent of complaints were connected to language used in the workplace and five per cent fell under 'others.' The vast majority of complaints (75 per cent) came out of Greater Montreal, which includes Montreal, Laval, Lanaudière, the Laurentians, and the Montérégie. Stéphane Beaulac, professor of constitutional law at the Université de Montréal and the Directeur de l'Observatoire national en matière de droits linguistiques, said it's typical for Montreal to see the most complaints as cities attract more people from outside Quebec. The number of complaints out of the metropolis have been relatively stable over the years. Eight per cent of complaints came out of Quebec City, three per cent from the Eastern Townships, and four per cent from the Outaouais. The rest of Quebec's regions account for four per cent of complaints and another six per cent came from outside Quebec. Bill 96's impact The OQLF notes that 22 per cent of complaints were unfounded and 36 per cent of cases were resolved. A quarter of all complaints necessitated an 'incentive intervention,' and 10 per cent warranted a warning. The organization says that francization processes were started in three per cent of cases and that it had to drop four per cent of complaints. CTV News requested clarification on which complaints were unfounded and resolved but did not hear back at time of publication. Beaulac said the OQLF's data means Quebec's common language reforms are working. He notes that though the total number of complaints went up, the rest of the breakdowns have been consistent over the years. 'One would think that with those extra incentives to protecting the French language, that there would be less complaints, but at the same time, Bill 96 provided more teeth to the system,' he said. 'It has actually provided the means for regular folks for anyone in regard to some of the obligations imposed by the scheme, the legislation to take action and actually file in complaints.' But Beaulac stresses that having more complaints doesn't mean the law isn't being respected. He points out that no complaints ended up before the Director of Criminal and Penal Prosecutions (DPCP), unlike in 2017-2018 when two per cent ended up before the DPCP. He says despite using the notwithstanding clause to push Bill 96 forward, the government is enforcing a 'soft power' as most cases end up getting resolved. 'The incentive and the scheme for implementation and enforcement actually means that it never comes push to shove,' said Beaulac. 'It is resolved beforehand, you know, upstream and not downstream to a penal procedure. So for me, it's extremely good news.'
