The test will be part of the province’s selection process and must be taken within a two-year period before candidates can apply “for selection for permanent immigration,” states the official Gazette of Quebec, the official publication of the Quebec government.
"If you compare our test to the test that already exists in Canada about knowing Canada, it's not very different," insisted Quebec Premier François Legault.
"I think it's important in Quebec because we are a nation, we are a distinct society, we have our values, we have our charter."
The exam requires that anyone who wants to live in Quebec prove they have proficient knowledge of the province’s values.
The official Gazette of Quebec does not elaborate on what kind of questions will be on the exam. However it states that topics will be related to the Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms.
Parti québécois (PQ) Immigration Critic Méganne Perry Mélançon insists the government should reveal exactly what kind of questions will be asked.
Selected candidates will be allowed to obtain their Quebec selection certificate, which is issued according to several criteria, such as age, education and work experience. This certificate is what allows them to apply for permanent residency, and then citizenship.
"It's important, before deciding to come to Quebec, to know that if you expect to be in a job in a position of authority, you will not have the right to wear religious signs," Legault said.
"So, I think it's important that you understand the values of where you want to live.".
The Quebec Liberals argue the test serves no purpose.
“Really, the question for us is how necessary it is at this particular stage,” said Pierre Arcand, leader of the official opposition. “This values test doesn't seem to serve any need right now.”
People will have the option to take the values test or enroll in a course “prescribed by the minister pertaining in particular to those values.”
To pass, new immigrants will have to receive a score of at least 75 per cent.
“In case of failure, it is possible to again take the assessment. Two weeks must elapse before a person…may again take the assessment,” the official Gazette of Quebec writes.
“After two failures, they may choose to participate in the course or again take the assessment a third time.”
