A report by France Houle urges Ottawa and Québec to define their responsibilities for temporary immigration more clearly, after growth in international student admissions exposed weaknesses in their shared system.
The Law Commission of Canada announced Oct. 19 that it had published the study, Beyond Tomorrow on Immigration. It is the first report in a commission series examining legal issues that may inform future law reform. The commission commissioned and published the study; its proposals are Houle’s.
Houle, formerly dean of the Université de Montréal Faculty of Law, is a professor there. Her report traces how Québec’s role in immigration developed through the 1978 Cullen-Couture Agreement and the 1991 Canada-Québec Accord. Québec moved from a consultative role to authority over selecting economic immigrants destined for the province.
Under the 1991 accord, Québec selects those economic immigrants, while the federal government decides whether to admit them to Canada. The two governments also share responsibility for the International Student Program.
Houle proposes adding a protocol to the accord to define each government’s responsibilities for temporary immigration. She also proposes an agreement involving provinces and territories that would take Canada’s social, economic and demographic needs into account in immigration planning.
The report connects problems in Québec’s student program to rising temporary admissions, changes to the Québec Experience Program, a pathway from graduation to permanent residence, and uncertainty over the boundaries between federal and provincial powers. It says educational institutions initially benefited from increased international enrollment. Growth also put pressure on housing and public services, while permanent-residence applications strained federal processing.
Houle’s study suggests a broad public discussion or an inquiry to help rebuild confidence in the immigration system. The commission announced no timetable for a next decision on the proposals.
