Right-Wing Nationalist Faith Goldy Is Praising Quebec's New "Values Test" For Immigrants

• The new Quebec values test for immigrants has sparked a debate online about the new regulations for those looking to settle permanently in the province.
• Faith Goldy, a notable Canadian nationalist, has praised the new regulations.
• Others are less excited about the change and are wondering: what exactly are "Quebec values" anyway?
• Visit MTLBlog for more headlines.

News broke today that Quebec's CAQ government went ahead and published a new regulation in the Gazette Officielle du Québec on Wednesday, October 30, 2019, which outlines a new requirement for immigrants looking to live in Quebec as of January 1, 2020 — namely a Quebec values test.

Under the new regulations, immigrants who wish to settle in Quebec would first need to pass a test of "Quebec values," which would then furnish them with "an attestation of learning about democratic values and the Quebec values expressed by the Charter of human rights and freedoms."

An important new addition to this Charter is, of course, the widely discussed "Bill 21" or the "Religious Symbols Ban."

According to the Montreal Gazette, the CAQ's original plan was to make passing this test "a condition of residency;" however, permanent residency is still under federal jurisdiction and therefore out of the CAQ's direct control.

Because of this, the CAQ's only option was to impose the test as part of their selection process. This means that passing the values test will become "a condition of obtaining a certificate of selection," or "CSQ" in Quebec, which is required by any immigrant who is applying for permanent residency via Immigration Canada.

Many Canadians have taken to Twitter to share their opinion of this new values test, but none have been quite as celebratory as the infamous right-wing Canadian nationalist, Faith Goldy, who had this to say about the new regulations:

And it seems she's not the only one who thinks this way.

Some Canadians were of the opinion that these regulations should be taken up by other provinces, too. During the election, Trudeau was clear about recognizing the provincial freedom to impose this test as part of the selection process under provincial jurisdiction.

READ ALSO: The CAQ Is Officially Raising The Legal Age To Consume Cannabis To 21 Starting Next Year

However, many other Canadians couldn't help but acknowledge the power that these new regulations may have on dissuading immigrants from settling in Quebec at all.

Quebec already presents obstacles for immigrants, particularly in the area of Francisation, which has long been a major part of the immigration process in the province.

Other Canadians couldn't help but ask the question that was certainly on my mind... What exactly are "Quebec values" and if they exist written down somewhere, can we all take a look?

The questions raised above are important ones that we still don't have clear answers to. 

(Although, no, someone from Ontario would not need to pass this values test, as the current regulations only speak to foreign nationals looking for permanent residence.)

In terms of the test itself, immigrants will be given the opportunity to re-write the test upon a fail, which is any grade less than 75%. 

In the event of a third fail, the immigrant will be given the opportunity to "participate, in Quebec, in the entire course prescribed by the Minister pertaining in particular on those values," which will serve as the "learning attestation."

You can read the amendments in full at the Gazette Officielle du Québec here.