Quebec Government is currently the only province to have concluded a comprehensive agreement with the Government of Canada for the purpose of facilitating the formulation, coordination and implementation of immigration policies and programs with respect to the admission of foreign nationals to the province.
Canada provided 1,87,190 permanent residencies in the first 3 quarters of 2004, of which 35,085 were for Quebec.
Quebec, thus accounts for 19% of the total permanent residencies provided in the period.
For Quebec itself this marks almost 20% increase over the corresponding figure for 2003(29,530).
Approximately 88% of the immigrant population who come to Quebec establish residence in Greater Montreal and comprise 27% of the total population of Montreal.
At the end of the third quarter, the leading source countries of immigrants were, in descending order, China, India, the Philippines, Pakistan and the United States. China and India retained their first and second place respectively.
Quebec is the largest province in Canada geographically, and the second most populous, after Ontario, with a population of 7,560,592 (Statistics Canada, October 2004). Quebec's primary and only official language is French, making up the bulk of the Francophone population in North America. Quebec is the only Canadian province where English is not an official language, and it is one of only two Canadian provinces where French is an official language (the other one being New Brunswick). The capital is Quebec City (or Ville de Québec in French) and the largest city is Montreal (or Montréal in French).
The province, Canada's largest, occupies a vast territory (nearly three times the size of France), most of which is very sparsely populated.
Quebec is located in eastern Canada, bordered by Ontario and Hudson Bay to the west, Atlantic Canada to the east, the United States (Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and New York) to the south and the Arctic Ocean to the north.
The province's three largest hydro-electric projects are built on La Grande Rivière. The extreme north of the province, now called Nunavik, is subarctic or arctic and is home to part of the Inuit nation.
The most populated region is the St. Lawrence River Valley in the south, where the capital, Quebec City, and the largest city, Montreal, are situated. North of Montreal are the Laurentians, a range of ancient mountains, and to the east are the Appalachian Mountains which extends into the Eastern Townships and Gaspésie regions. The Gaspé Peninsula juts into the Gulf of St. Lawrence to the east.
Québec has a temperate climate with four very distinct seasons.
Québec has four clearly demarcated seasons: a gentle, sunny spring, an often hot and humid summer, an autumn that blazes with vivid colours and a cold, snowy winter ideal for all kinds of winter sports.
Source: Environment Canada, Canadian Climate Normals, 1971-2000
The Lieutenant Governor represents Queen Elizabeth II as head of state. The head of government is the Premier (called premier ministre in French) who leads the largest party in the unicameral National Assembly or Assemblée Nationale, from which the Council of Ministers is appointed.
The government of Quebec awards an order of merit called the National Order of Quebec. It is inspired in part by the French Legion of Honour. It is conferred upon men and women born or living in Quebec (but non-Quebecers can be inducted as well) for outstanding achievements.
The St. Lawrence River Valley is a fertile agricultural region, producing dairy products, fruit, vegetables, maple sugar (Quebec is the world's largest producer), and livestock.
North of the St. Lawrence River Valley, the territory of Quebec is extremely rich in resources in its coniferous forests, lakes, and rivers—pulp and paper, lumber, and hydroelectricity are still some of the province's most important industries.
High-tech industries are very important around Montreal. It includes the aerospace companies like jet manufacturer Bombardier, the jet engine company Pratt and Withney and the flight simulator builder CAE. Those companies and other major subcontractors make Quebec the fourth biggest player worldwide in the aviation industry.
The Québécois people, a people also found in small minorities of Canada and of the United States, consider Quebec their homeland. The Québécois are the largest population of French speakers in the Americas. Most French Canadians live in Quebec, though there are other concentrations of francophones throughout Canada with varying degrees of ties to Quebec. (The Acadians of the Canadian Maritimes consider themselves an entirely separate group.)
Quebec is at once a North American society and the main French-speaking society on the continent. Montreal is the vibrant cosmopolitan metropolis of Quebec. History made Quebec a place where cultures meet, where people from all over the world experience America, but from a little distance and through a different eye. Often described as a crossroads between Europe and America, Quebec is home to a people that has the privilege of being connected to the strong cultural currents of the United States, France, and the British Isles all at the same time.
Quebec is also home to 11 aboriginal cultures and that of a large Anglo-Quebecer minority of approximately 600,000 people.
Quebec represents 24% of the population of Canada.
Quebec's fertility rate is now among the lowest in Canada. At 1.48, it is well below the replacement fertility rate of 2.1. This contrasts with the fertility rate before 1960 which was among the highest of the industrialized countries.
The graphic emblem of Quebec is the iris, usually white on a blue background, as on the flag of Quebec. The avian emblem of Quebec is the snowy owl.
Quebec is sometimes referred to as "La Belle Province" which means "The Beautiful Province". Until the late 1970s, this phrase was displayed on Quebec licence plates. It has since been replaced by the province's official motto: "Je me souviens" which means "I remember".
Where can you look for employment in Quebec
The economy of Quebec is diversified and post-industrial with a strong potential for growth.
In 2001, 74.7 per cent of Quebec workers worked in the tertiary sector(services like banking, finance, insurance, consultancy), 18.5 per cent in the manufacturing sector(industries,factories), 2.8 per cent in the primary sector(agriculture,forestry,fishing and allied activites), and 4.0 per cent in the construction sector.
Approximately 85 per cent of all Quebec exports go to the United States.
Quebec's aerospace industry is ranked sixth in the world for its production value. Montreal is the second aerospace centre after Seattle(U.S).There are some 260 companies of the aerospace sector that employ 40,000 people. Various international organizations have established their headquarters in Quebec, notably the International Air Transport Association and the International Civil Aviation Organization.
Quebec's ground transportation industry employs some 35,000 people and includes major original equipment manufacturers such as Bombardier, PACCAR, NovaBUS, Prévost CAR, Komatsu International, and many suppliers and sub-contractors.
Employing over 100,000 workers, Quebec's information technology sector is strong and growing. Particularly strong are the sectors of telecommunications, multimedia software, computer services and consulting, microelectronics and components.
Some 10,000 people work for 115 telecommunication companies such as Ericsson, Motorola, and Mitec.
The multimedia sector is quite strong and even stronger since the arrival of Electronic Arts in 2003. Some 1200 people work for game development companies such as Ubi Soft, Microïds, Strategy First, and A2M.
Notably, Montreal is home to two major creators of 3D animation software: Softimage and Discreet.
The computer services, software development, and consulting branch employs 60,000 specialized workers.
The microelectronics sector is strong, with 110 companies employing 12,900 people. The largest employers are Hyperchip, IBM, and Matrox.
In 2004, some 8000 people were employed in the Quebec optics and photonics industries. Research-related jobs are concentrated chiefly in the seven Quebec City region research centres, while production operations are mostly located in the Greater Montreal area. Quebec counts some 20 businesses in the laser, optical fibre, image processing, and related sectors.
Quebec has some 130 companies employing 4700 people in the biotechnology industry. It is ranked third in North America for its size, just after California and Massachusetts.
With 381 companies and 24,550 employees in the pharmaceutical, research and development, manufacturing, and related sectors, the Quebec health industry is one of the most important economic stimuli of modern Quebec. With the presence of some 20 multinationals such as Merck Frosst, Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer, Aventis Pharma, and Bristol-Myers Squibb, Montreal ranks eighth in North America for the number of jobs in the pharmaceutical sector.
In 2002, tourism-related expenditures amounted to C$7.3 billion. The most visited cities are Montreal and Quebec City.
Apart from the above mentioned industries,Hydroelectricity, Aluminium,magnesium and Wood remain major sources of employment.