This article is taken from the
special Figaro "From East to West - Living in Canada why not you?"
.
This number offers you to answer the questions you ask yourself as simply as possible.
This, with the help of practical texts, maps and testimonies from French people living in Canada.
An hour before landing in Montreal, the Atlantic just crossed, look through the window.
You will then discover, in clear weather, all the brilliance and diversity of this land nestled in the heart of North America.
Here, a little over four centuries ago, a handful of French people full of hope landed with the desire to “
make a country
”.
In 1608, Samuel de Champlain founded the city of Quebec.
In the distance, you can see the cradle of New France: the Gaspésie stretched out and potbellied like a whale, crossed by the Chic-Chocs mountains, criss-crossed by superb salmon rivers and covered with conifers sheltering moose and bears.
You then fly over the shores of the St. Lawrence and its peacefully beautiful villages, lined with houses alternately white or colored.
Omnipresent, the exceptionally large river - one of the most powerful rivers in North America - will never leave you until you reach the island of Montreal.
Read alsoHappy like French expatriates in Quebec
Thus, even before having set foot on Quebec soil, you will have admired, depending on the season, a mosaic of greens and blues, trees drenched in purple, gold, carmine and vermilion or an icy, immaculate expanse or silver… to infinity.
Space, the keyword is discarded.
More than a million lakes and waterways criss-crossing the territory, immense areas of forest representing the area of France and Great Britain combined, a river whose mouth is so vast that it takes two three hours by boat to cross it, here is Quebec, an excessive country, on a North American scale.
Between tradition and modernism
Settling in Quebec is not only about discovering grandiose landscapes or experiencing exhilarating adventures, it is also about meeting a people and a culture in the only officially French-speaking province in the country.
From their ancestors who left to seek a better life in an unknown land, they keep this entrepreneurial spirit of which they are very proud and an approach to life so pragmatic that it never ceases to amaze the “
French of France
”.
Read alsoIn Quebec, a law imposing French sows discord
With easy contact, Quebecers love to “
talk
” and “
chatter
”.
They will teach you their history, less deadly than that of many countries, but which has also known its share of misfortune and suffering.
They will tell you about the fierce fight they lead to defend their language.
They will explain to you the acute feeling of loneliness of this Quebec society, the last North American enclave with a French-speaking majority, which would like to reconcile the best of these two worlds...
And you will understand why these descendants of builders, pioneers and pioneers are still fighting today to build their society, a “
distinct society
”, within a Canada that recognizes their differences.
Neither descendants of the Old Continent nor sons of the New World, they simply claim to be Quebecers.
Three seasons instead of four
Without subscribing to fads, people in Quebec spend more on clothing than in any other country.
We must indeed be able to face rain, snow, ice, winds, humidity… and sun in all possible shades.
The mercury can exceed 30°C in summer and dip below -30°C in winter.
The province enjoys a continental climate with very high thermal amplitude.
Read alsoWhen to go to Canada?
Weather, climate, activities… The best period by region
Contrary to certain received ideas, the summer is hot and sometimes humid, the autumn, the season of colors, very fluctuating in terms of temperature.
As for winter, which is harsh and more or less snowy depending on the year, it is above all very long in the eyes of most Europeans.
And spring?
Some say it's so short it hardly exists.
It is indeed necessary to wait for the month of May to see nature emerge from its lethargy and already arrive the beautiful days of June.
A contrasting economy
After having, like most countries, suffered from the effects of the pandemic, the Quebec job market has recovered spectacularly.
In March, the province found an unemployment rate of 4.5%, the lowest in Canada.
It displays a growth that would make many envious.
Quebec still draws a lot of its wealth from the forest (wood and tourism), from its abundant subsoil in minerals (gold, iron, copper and zinc and soon rare earths) and from the power of its hydroelectricity.
But nature is not, by far, the only resource.
The sectors of artificial intelligence, video games, special effects for cinema, the pharmaceutical industry, or aeronautics are among the bridgeheads of the new economy.
This good economic health could still improve were it not for the serious labor shortage problem that is forcing many businesses to operate at a slower pace.
A shortage largely due to the demographic deficit and the retirement of the famous baby boomers that immigration alone cannot fill.
And, because
it welcomes fewer immigrants than the rest of Canada, the demographic weight of Quebec decreases with each new census.
In 1966, it represented 28.9% of the Canadian population.
This proportion rose to 23.2% in 2016, then to 23% in 2021. More than ever, the French-speaking province needs the contribution of its newcomers.
Multi and interculturalism
In 1971, in order to manage growing cultural diversity, Canada was the first country in the world to adopt an official policy on multiculturalism.
It even included this principle in its Charter of Rights and Freedoms (1982).
Read alsoWhy is Canada still in conflict with Native Americans?
Quebec prefers to speak of interculturalism to define its integration model.
New immigrants are invited to participate fully in a society characterized by its language, well-established values (such as equality between men and women or the separation of Church and State) and its own history and culture.
The concept
of “reasonable accommodation”
, the demands and requests made by people from minority ethnic or religious groups, was in the headlines for a while.
It sparked heated debate during the work of the Bouchard-Taylor commission (2007-2008).
It emerged that most Quebecers are opposed to communitarianism;
immigrants must integrate into their new culture without forgetting their own.
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From East to West - Living in Canada why not you?
Le Figaro
