Immigration.ca - Canada Immigration News - February 2009
The Canadian province of Quebec should work to shed its reputation as being intolerant toward Anglophones, according to the man who started the Just For Laughs Festival in Montreal.
Gilbert Rozon believes that the more ethnicities living together, the better, according to a speech he made recently to the Conseil des relations internationales de Montreal. He cited multiculturalism as Toronto’s best asset saying that cities everywhere are competing to attract “talent.”
“I do not think that we in Quebec are racist or that we are not open (to other cultures),” said Rozon. “[But] every city in the world is competing for great talent.”
Rozon is referring to policies in the province designed to favour the immigration of francophones, as the law requires new arrivals to speak French. He said that while these laws may have been necessary in the past, Quebec culture is now strong enough to open itself up in an effort to become more competitive in North America.
“The francophone culture (in Quebec) is one that must be maintained,” stressed Rozon. “And then, after that, we can go get some Anglophone culture.”
Source: The Montreal Gazette
