Report explores division of immigration responsibilities and challenges of temporary migration
The Law Commission of Canada (LCC) has published a report examining how the federal and Quebec governments divide immigration responsibilities, including the legal and institutional challenges associated with the growth of temporary migration.
The report, titled “Beyond Tomorrow on Immigration: Legal Impacts of the Canada-Québec Accord relating to Immigration and Temporary Admission of Aliens for Federal and Québec Immigration Law and the International Student Program,” is the first publication in the LCC's Beyond Tomorrow Reports series.
France Houle authored the report, which traces the evolution of Quebec's immigration regime. It examines the legal, political, and institutional foundations that govern how Canada and Quebec divide immigration responsibilities.
Houle explores how Quebec's role in immigration evolved from consultation to decision-making authority over selecting economic immigrants seeking admission to the province.
The report also examines tensions within Canada's immigration system, particularly the difficulties the two-level governance model has faced in responding to the rapid growth of temporary migration.
As part of the analysis, Houle presents a case study examining the development, implementation and eventual breakdown of Quebec's International Student Program.
According to the LCC, the case study highlights "the limits of a system characterized by the coexistence of ill-defined objectives between the governments of Canada and Québec in the area of temporary immigration."
Houle is a full professor and former dean of the Université de Montréal Faculty of Law. She specializes in immigration law and regulatory processes and previously served as legal counsel for the Immigration and Refugee Board.
The LCC commissions and publishes Beyond Tomorrow Reports periodically to identify legal challenges affecting future generations and examine possibilities for law reform.
The initiative invites scholars and experts across Canada to submit proposals addressing issues within the LCC's framework for examining the future of law.
The reports draw on research and collaboration with community-based actors to examine how law influences community building and strengthening.
According to the LCC, the series aims to connect theoretical scholarship with practical applications and identify constructive pathways for future legal reform. The report is available on the LCC's website.
