Arrest & Detention
During your interactions with police, you have certain protections that the authorities must respect to uphold fairness in the criminal justice process. This section provides you with important information on your English-language rights if you are ever detained or arrested by police in Quebec.
Criminal Justice Resources
This section offers you a detailed list of organizations that can help you, in English, with more specific questions help you navigate Canada’s criminal justice system.
Language & Discrimination
Regardless of who you are, where you come from, or what you believe, the right to be treated equally by the government and in your everyday life is part of our democratic society. When this right is violated, there are actions you can take to correct that injustice. This section provides you with information on your equality rights as an English speaker in Quebec. It also offers you guidelines on how to bring a discrimination complaint to the various commissions and tribunals that hear such cases in Quebec and Canada.
Anti-Discrimination Resources
If you believe you are the victim of discrimination and harassment and wish to file a formal complaint, institutions exist that can help resolve disputes and offer you certain remedies. This section offers you information about the complaint process of human rights bodies like the CNESST, Administrative Housing Tribunal, and the human rights commissions and tribunals of Quebec and Canada.
Schooling in English in Quebec
The ability to send your children to either French- or English-language schools has been a controversial subject in Quebec law and politics for decades. This section provides you with information on who can study in English in Quebec’s school system. It also offers guidance on the different ways you can apply to send your children to English-language schools.
English-Language School Boards
This section explains the purpose and functions of English-language school boards in Quebec. It also provides information on Bill 40, a major overhaul of Quebec’s public education system, and its potential consequences for English-language schools in the province.
Education Resources
This section offers you a detailed list of organizations and institutions that can help you, in English, with sending your child to an English-language school in Quebec.
Rights in Provincial Workplaces
Most jobs in Quebec are regulated by the province's employment laws. The right of Quebecers to work in French was guaranteed with the passing of the Charter of the French Language in 1977. While the use of English was largely limited after this point, it was not entirely resitricted by the law. This section offers information on your English-language employment rights for jobs regulated by the Quebec government.
Services in English for Provincial Workers
This section provides detailed information on access to English-language services in your workplace and at the various agencies and tribunals that oversee employment disputes, particularly the CNESST, Administrative Labour Tribunal, and the Social Security Tribunal of Canada. The level of access each of these institutions offer to services in English depends on each of their language policies and whether they are bound by Bill 101.
Rights in Federal Workplaces
If you work for the post office, a bank, a telecommunications or transportation company, then you likely have a “federal” job. This section offers information on your English-language employment rights for jobs regulated by the Canadian government.
Services in English for Federal Workers
This section provides detailed information on access to English-language services in your workplace and at the various agencies and tribunals that oversee employment disputes, particularly the CNESST, Labour Program, Canada Industrial Relations Board, and Social Security Tribunal of Canada. The level of access each of these institutions offer to services in English depends on each of their language policies and whether they are bound by Bill 101.
Worker Resources
This section offers you a detailed list of organizations that can help you, in English, with more specific questions or issues about your employment rights.
Marriages & Civil Unions
For many couples, wanting to confirm their shared life under the law can come with its own set of obligations and grant its own unique set of protections, depending on the nature of the relationship. This section offers you detailed information on your English-language rights during the process of getting married, entering into a civil union, or terminating either of these two types of unions. It also provides information on the English-language services available by the government bodies that oversee matters of marriage, divorce, and entering and ending a civil union.
De Facto Unions
Some couples are neither married nor in a civil union. However, certain legal protections may exist for the couple depending on various factors of their relationship, such as whether they live together and the level to which they have built a shared life. This section offers you detailed information on your English-language rights relating to entering into or ending a de facto union. It also provides information on the English-language services available by the government bodies that oversee issues relating to de facto unions.
Youth Protection
The federal and provincial governments have created many systems to support parents and children and to promote strong families. This section offers you detailed information on your English-language rights relating to the rights of children and parental obligations in Quebec law. It also provides information on the English-language services available by the government bodies that oversee issues relating to the protection of children.
Family & Youth Resources
This section offers you a detailed list of organizations that can help you, in English, with more specific questions relating to your unique family law issues. It also contains information about various resources catering to the particular needs of women, racial minorities, and the LGBTQ+ community.
Leasing & Renting
A residential lease is a contractual agreement between a landlord and a tenant, where the landlord agrees to provide the tenant with a peaceful place to live in exchange for regular rental payments. When conflicts arise, either the tenant or landlord may file a formal complaint with the Administrative Housing Tribunal (TAL) to resolve their dispute. This section offers you detailed information on your English-language housing rights, as well as information on access to English-language services available at the TAL.
Housing Resources
This section offers you a detailed list of organizations that can help you, in English, with many of your more specific housing rights questions or issues.
The Journey to Canada
Quebec has long welcomed peoples from many walks of life, all with the desire to build a new home within its borders. This section offers a short explanation of the different paths you may take to come to Canada, namely as a temporary resident, permanent resident, or refugee. It also provides general information on the three government institutions that handle all newcomer applications to immigrate: Quebec’s Ministry of Immigration, Francization and Integration; Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada; and the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada.
English-Language Rights for Newcomers
This section offers specific information on when you may access certain immigration processes in English as you plan to settle in Quebec, particularly if you are applying obtain a Quebec Acceptance Certificate (for temporary residents) or a Quebec Selection Certificate (for permanent residents and certain refugees).
Temporary Residency
This section details the procedure on how you may obtain temporary residency through a work or study permit in Quebec, as well as English-language services available at the institutions that manage a foreign worker or foreign student’s stay in Canada.
Permanent Residency
Sometimes, people may want to establish themselves and build a life for themselves in the country. This section details the procedure on how you may obtain permanent residency as an economic or family-sponsored migrant, as well as English-language services available at the institutions that manage a newcomer’s immigration journey to Canada.
Refugee & Humanitarian Status
Canada is in a privileged position to offer help to people fleeing violence, persecution, or instability in their home countries. This section details the procedure on how you may obtain refugee status as an asylum seeker or humanitarian migrant in Quebec, as well as English-language services available at the insitutions that manage a newcomer’s voyage to safety.
Becoming a Citizen
Once you have been a permanent resident for a while, you may wish to stay in Canada and enjoy the same rights and protections as anyone born in the country. This section offers who general information on what you must do to acquire Canadian citizenship, as well as the steps of the process that are available to you in English.
Improve your French
Knowing how to communicate in the French language is not just important for living in Quebec; it is a key component of many of the province’s immigration applications and processes. This section provides you with a list of courses and lessons to help you better your French-language skills, whether you are a beginner or fluent French-speaker, or whether or not you are currently in Quebec.
Newcomer Resources
This section offers you a detailed list of organizations that can help you, in English, with more specific questions relating to your unique immigration journey. It also includes orgnizations help cater to specific groups of migrants, such as LGBTQ+ refugees.
The information published on this website is a simplified summary; it does not replace the official laws, regulations, or policies of Quebec and Canada. Furthermore, the information on this website does not, in any way, constitute legal advice. For assistance on any specific legal questions, please consult a lawyer. You can visit Access to Justice by Topic: Online Resources on our homepage for further information.
