User:Mathieugp/drafts/Language policy of Quebec

The language policy of Quebec is a language policy valorizing a single official language, French, that of the majority of the population, all the while recognizing a differentiated status to an English-speaking minority and 11 aboriginal nations.

Following the territoriality principle in language planning, its various measures favour the propagation, development and quality of the French language, which is a minority language in Canada spoken by a numerical majority only in Quebec. The main objectives of the policy are to prevent language shifts from French to English, in the context where the English language is strongly valorized by various factors, to modify the hierarchy of languages in the public space so as to allow French to prevail over other languages, as does English in Canadian provinces where it is the language of the majority, and finally to ensure the development and vitality of French so it continues to be a language suitable to describe the North American reality.

The Charter
The preamble of the Charter of the French language sets the goal of making French the "normal and everyday language of work, instruction, communication, commerce and business". To achieve this goal, it contains a number of key dispositions and various regulations. Its first title defines 5 fundamental linguistic rights of persons in Quebec:


 * 1) The right of persons to have all government branches, professional corporations, employee associations and enterprises doing business in Quebec communicate with them in French.
 * 2) The right of persons to speak French in deliberative assemblies.
 * 3) The right of workers to carry on their activities in French.
 * 4) The right of consumers to be informed and served in French.
 * 5) The right of persons eligible for instruction in Quebec to receive that instruction in French.

The other titles pertain to the officialization, toponymy, and the francization of the civil service and Crown corporations, the establishment of the Office québécois de la langue française and the Conseil supérieur de la langue française.

The Office québécois de la langue française is the government branch responsible for overseeing the application of the Charter. In 2005-2006, the budget of the OQLF was of $18.5 million CAD.

Immigration
Quebec acquired partial control over immigration since the creation of its own department of immigration in 1968. In 1978, shortly after the adoption of the Charter of the French language, the Cullen-Couture agreement signed between Québec and Ottawa allowed Québec to define its own selection criteria. A points-based system similar of the Federal Skilled Worker Program is used to evaluation candidates who receive a Certificat de sélection du Québec (Quebec Selection Certificate).

http://www.cic.gc.ca/EnGLIsh/department/laws-policy/agreements/quebec/can-que-guide.asp

http://www.canadavisa.com/about-quebec.html

Agreement with regard to cooperation on immigration matters and on the selection of foreign nationals wishing to settle either permanently or temporarily in Québec (aka Cullen-Couture Agreement, February 20, 1978)

English-speaking minority
While the speakers of aboriginal languages consist in linguistic minorities, the English-speaking minority of Quebec is a part of the linguistic majority of Canada.

Timeline

 * 1910 - The Parliament of Quebec adopts An Act to amend the Civil Code, respecting contracts made with public utility companies which requires public utility enterprises in Quebec to serve their customers in English and French. The bill was presented by MLA Armand Lavergne with the support of a petition signed by 1.7 million people.
 * 1961 - On March 24, the Ministry of Cultural Affairs and the Office de la langue française are established.
 * 1963 - In April, a Royal Commission on Bilingualism and Biculturalism (B & B Commission) is established.
 * 1967 - The first four books of the report of the B & B Commission are published (Official Languages (Book 1), Education (Book 2), The World of Work (Book 3), and The Federal Capital (Book 4))
 * 1968 - The school board of the City of Saint-Léonard decides that all immigrant children are to attend schools where French is the language of instruction.
 * 1969 - The final report of the B & B Commission is published.
 * 1969 - The Parliament of Canada adopts the Official Languages Act.
 * 1969 - The Parliament of Quebec adopts the Act to promote the French language in Quebec
 * 1974 - The Act to promote the French language in Quebec is repealed and replaced by the Official Language Act.
 * 1977 - The Official Language Act of 1974 is repealed and replaced by the Charter of the French language
 * 1979 - The Supreme Court of Canada rules that all acts of the Parliament of Quebec be enacted in English and French. See Attorney General of Quebec v. Blaikie (No. 1)
 * 1982 - The Parliament of Canada adopts a Charter of Rights which contains a section on the education right of official language minorities.
 * 1984 - The Supreme Court of Canada rules... See Quebec (Attorney General) v. Quebec Protestant School Boards
 * 1988 - The Supreme Court of Canada rules... See Ford v. Quebec (Attorney General)
 * 1988 - The Official Languages Act of 1969 is repealed and replaced by a new Official Languages Act
 * 1988 - The Parliament of Quebec adopts the Act to amend the Charter of the French language, S.Q. 1988, c. 54 (Bill 178) which made use of the notwithstanding clause of the Canadian constitution to keep the original law unchanged.
 * 1993 - The Parliament of Quebec adopts the Act to amend the Charter of the French language, S.Q. 1993, c. 40 (Bill 86) which made the Charter of the French Language compliant with the Supreme Court rulings.