Quebec's technology companies argue that it is unreasonable to expect newcomers to Quebec to learn French in just six months, and they urge Premier Francois Legault to put a halt to his Bill 96, which requires people to learn the language.
“The requirement under Bill 96 to learn French within six months imposes an unrealistic deadline, as newcomers struggle with multiple challenges related to a life-changing move to a new home in Quebec,” 37 tech companies argued in an open letter to Quebec's premier.
CCI president Benjamin Bergen said companies are willing to bring tutors or teachers into their offices to help immigrant workers learn French instead of relying on Francisation Quebec, but there is a shortage of instructors.
The CCI president also added that even companies that are being proactive and working hard to integrate their teams face challenges. A language requirement for immigrants could also impede the province's ability to attract tech talent and worsen existing shortages of developers and engineers.
According to the Quebec government, the sector of information technology and communications needs to fill 10,000 jobs.