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Government announcement
23 March 2018

The government of Quebec announces an agreement with the Ville de Montréal for immigrant inclusion


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Montréal Reflex Framework Agreement

MONTRÉAL, March 23, 2018 – Today, the Quebec government and the Ville de Montréal announced a three-year agreement concerning immigration, diversity and inclusiveness. This announcement follows the signing of the Montréal Reflex framework agreement upon the recognition of Montréal’s particular status as Quebec’s metropolis.

The announcement was made today by David Heurtel, Minister of Immigration, Diversity and Inclusiveness and Member for Viau, Martin Coiteux, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Land Occupancy, Minister of Public Security and Minister responsible for the Montréal region, and Valérie Plante, Mayor of Montréal.

The Ministère de l’Immigration, de la Diversité et de l’Inclusion (MIDI) has granted a $12 million investment as part of the Mobilisation-Diversité program. An additional $12 million will be invested by the Ville de Montréal, bringing the agreement’s total to $24 million over three years, from 2018 to 2021. This investment aims to facilitate immigrant integration into Quebec society and to support the implementation of structuring actions for Montréal and borough initiatives, in collaboration with local partners in the domain of immigration.

This agreement confirms Montréal’s role as the key player in immigrant integration and inclusion, and demonstrates the renewed partnership between the Quebec government and the Ville de Montréal. Like all the world’s great cities, Montréal is Québec’s main immigrant destination. Our metropolis is known for its rich ethnocultural diversity and its openness of spirit. Each year, Montréal welcomes more than 70% of Québec’s international immigrants, the vast majority of whom are selected qualified workers in the economic category.

Quotes

This historic three-year agreement is the first we have signed with Montréal in its new capacity as Quebec’s metropolis. We want to promote the French-language integration of immigrants in all boroughs through innovative projects and complementary initiatives, which will be implemented with community organizations with experience in welcoming and supporting immigrants. We must organize our efforts to ensure that these people can find work in their fields and participate fully in their new community. Montréal is world-renowned for its cultural diversity. We hope that the work we do as part of this agreement serves to reinforce this strength.

– David Heurtel, Minister of Immigration, Diversity and Inclusiveness and Member for Viau

Montréal is wonderfully inclusive and cosmopolitan, thanks in large part to its diversity. The agreement announced today symbolizes a newly strengthened partnership, and will give the Ville de Montréal more flexibility in welcoming and integrating new immigrants. By giving the Ville de Montréal special status, the Quebec government is fulfilling its vision and equipping the metropolis to play a role in several areas, including helping immigrants achieve their full potential and managing intercultural relations.

– Martin Coiteux, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Land Occupancy, Minister of Public Security and Minister responsible for the Montréal region,

Thanks to this new framework agreement, the Ville de Montréal and its services, particularly the Bureau d’Intégration des Nouveaux Arrivants à Montréal (BINAM), will be able to make Quebec’s metropolis even more welcoming and inclusive. It will support the social and economic integration of new arrivals of all origins and improve local services on offer. Strategies aimed at the population of Montréal will foster inclusion and the welcoming of new arrivals in order to reduce discrimination and promote intercultural cooperation.

– Valérie Plante, Mayor of Montréal 

Key facts

  • On December 8, 2016, the Quebec government signed a declaration officially recognizing Montréal as Quebec’s metropolis. It signed the Montréal Reflex framework agreement detailing the responsibilities of the Quebec government and the Ville de Montréal in recognizing the metropolis’s special status. It also introduced Bill 121, An Act to increase the autonomy and powers of Ville de Montréal, the metropolis of Québec, which was adopted into law on September 21 of last year.
  • As part of the Montréal Reflex framework agreement, the government of Quebec promised to finalize sector-specific agreements, including the one between the MIDI and the Ville de Montréal. These agreements will give the Ville de Montréal greater flexibility on immigration, housing, homelessness, culture and heritage, school infrastructure and equipment, and economic development.
  • Established in 2012-2013, the MIDI’s Mobilisation-Diversitéprogram aims to support organizations and local bodies in building more welcoming and inclusive communities, in order to promote the full participation of immigrants and ethnocultural minorities in Quebec society, in French.
  • This three-year agreement funded through the Mobilisation-Diversitéprogram aims to build even more welcoming and inclusive communities. It will strive to enable communities to take advantage of the positive contributions diversity and immigration can bring to their development. It will support the efforts of partners that provide assistance to people who were admitted to Quebec for protection or humanitarian reasons. Finally, it will promote initiatives that enable immigrants who have established themselves in the metropolis to find work in their field anywhere in Quebec.
  • The Bureau d’Intégration des Nouveaux Arrivants à Montréal (BINAM) will play an active role in the agreement with the MIDI. The BINAM is responsible for mobilizing and organizing all local players involved in welcoming and integrating new arrivals. It will also propose initiatives to accelerate the social and economic integration of new immigrants in order to facilitate their positive contributions to Montréal society. With this in mind, the BINAM would like to get all Montrealers involved in keeping Montréal an inclusive, open and cosmopolitan metropolis.