Since gaining a majority government in the 2018 election, the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) has advanced a nationalistic agenda for the province, with one of their principal initiatives being the reinforcement of the primacy of the French language. Most recently, a report found that 40 per cent of Quebec businesses[Read More…]
Tag: CAQ
Dozens gather at Palais de Justice de Montréal to protest against recent PEQ reform
Approximately 50 people gathered by the steps of the Palais de Justice de Montréal on Sept. 12 to protest the recent reform of the Québec Experience Program (PEQ). The small but vocal crowd cheered speakers on while remaining socially distant. The protest was organized by the activist group Le[Read More…]
CAQ’s proposed reforms to PEQ spark criticism from student organizations across Québec
Quebec’s Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) government announced on May 28 its proposed reforms to the Quebec Experience Program (Programme de l’expérience québécoise, or PEQ), a popular immigration program that fast tracks temporary foreign workers and international students to obtain the Quebec Selection Certificate (CSQ) required to apply for permanent residency[Read More…]
Reinforcing Bill 101 is Discrimination 101
A reinvigorated Bill 101 looms over Quebec, and if it descends, it could impede demographic reconciliation in the province. Enacted in 1977, the bill established French as the official language of Quebec, forcing government agencies, many businesses, and other institutions to conduct operations in French. While the bill is longstanding[Read More…]
The CAQ’s secular mission masks discrimination
The Coalition Avenir Quebec (CAQ) recently announced its intention to abolish the mandatory Ethics and Religious Culture (ERC) course taught in schools around the province. The decision comes less than a year after Bill 21, a law that prohibits certain public servants from wearing religious symbols, passed in the National[Read More…]
Bill 21: Impractical on paper and in practice
Bill 21, a law enacted by the Quebec government that prohibits public sector employees from wearing visible religious symbols, caused public outrage by disproportionately affecting religious minorities such as Muslims, Jews, and Sikhs. Introduced this past May, there was no shortage of speculation concerning how problematic the implementation of this[Read More…]
Quebec to ban marijuana products that ‘appeal to minors’
In a statement released July 24, the Québec government proposed banning the sale of sweet cannabis edibles that ‘appeal to minors,’ including ice cream, brownies, and candy. The move is a response to one of the federal government’s main campaign promises, which involves the legalization of edibles and other topical[Read More…]
Quebec legislature passes controversial secularism bill
After a marathon 16-hour debate, the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) passed Bill 21, an Act respecting the laicity of the State, late at night on June 16. The new law is designed to promote state secularism by prohibiting public sector employees from displaying religious symbols while working. The bill affects[Read More…]
Let Muslim women wear whatever they want
Newly-elected Premier and leader of the Coalition Avenir Quebec (CAQ) François Legault recently shuffled his cabinet, naming Isabelle Charest the new Minister responsible for the Status of Women. Charest sparked controversy in early February for insisting that the “hijab is a symbol of female oppression.” When criticized for her comments,[Read More…]
Environmental policy in a new era of Quebec politics
McGill students listened to a panel comprised of ecologically-minded professionals discuss the future of Quebec’s environmental policy on Oct. 31, entitled “Looking Ahead: A New Era of Environmental Policy in Quebec”. The speakers agreed that the election of the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) in October could be a major setback[Read More…]
