The Failures of Immigration in Quebec
According to Quebec’s Ministry of Immigration, every year 3,000 to 4,000 French people like Virginie and Ronnie decide to settle permanently in Quebec. 7,000 more come in on a temporary visa and over 5,000 as students. Montreal is the main non-European destination for French expatriates, where 40,000 of them are registered with the Maison des Français, twice as many as in New York or Los Angeles and nearly four times more than in Sydney. And this figure is increasing: between 2000 and 2004 it soared by 47%.
However the Quebec immi forum can sometimes turn into a nightmare. Every year hundreds of these immigrants return home to France with the bitter aftertaste of failure.
The exact number of returning immigrants is the object of fierce debate. The Delegation of Quebec in France, the organization in charge of recruiting immigrants, claims that 18% to 20% will be back within five years. The demographer Marc Termotte, however, argues that these figures are wide of the mark. “One out of every two French people who decide to settle in Quebec will go back to France within eight years of their immigration,” says this professor from the University of Montreal, who based his study on census statistics.
Virginie and Ronnie know that the return rate is fairly high but this does not deter them from their immigration project. “Once we’ve left, we’ll finally be able to shake off this depressing environment. Here in France, there’s always someone to put a spoke in your wheel,” sighs 24 year-old Virginie. And like all the others who hope to be leaving for good, she is certain that she and Ronnie will be in the half who succeed.
Another element plays a part in the return rate: the culture shock after reading the Quebec Immigration Program for Skilled Workers. Their common language means that the French are unprepared for this. Many expect to find “an acre of France in America” rather than “America in French.” And even then, it’s not the same French. Johanna admits she still uses typical Quebecker expressions months after her return to France.
Language is only one aspect of the cultural divide faced by the French immigrant. The basic cultural precepts are also unique. “I know I shouldn’t say this but I find the Quebeckers very… Anglo-Saxon,” admits Françoise, as though this was the worst kind of insult. With their more right-wing economic vision, a culinary approach that is a long way from its French origins and policies based on individual freedom, the Quebeckers are first and foremost North-Americans.