Québécois Society: Pre- and Post-1977 Immigration

Abstract

In Chapter 3 of this book, I argue that host societies ought to promote group integration through funding the creation of new communal institutions and through opening up spaces to consult with existing communal groups. I argue that this kind of integration, which is presently understudied in the literature on multiculturalism, has two main benefits to society. First, group integration helps newcomers that establish themselves in a new society by providing them with strong institutions that can help direct individual group members on how to participate and belong to their new host society. These group institutions can then offer unique services to newcomers in a targeted way that understands the particular linguistic restraints, or cultural conventions of the newcomers. Second, groups that are well integrated are more apt to communicate with other groups and the host society. This is important in today’s world where laws that are intended to be neutral often have unintended consequences. So group integration has both the instrumental benefit of expediting individual integration, and intrinsic value in so far as it addresses general equality rights in society.