During the early 1960s, the Canadian government allowed more immigrants from non-Western countries to move to Canada. Immigrants were generally selected based on their job training to fill labour needs.
Quebec wanted more autonomy to make decisions regarding immigration, so the province created its own department in 1968, later named the Ministry of Immigration.
In 1976, Pierre Elliott Trudeau passed the Immigration Act, which widened the eligibility criteria for immigrants to Canada.
Two years later, the Quebec government, led by René Lévesque, demanded more authority over immigration, namely with regards to French-language requirements. After signing an agreement with Ottawa, Quebec was granted more freedom to decide how many immigrants to accept and the acceptance criteria.
In the years that followed, immigrants were welcomed from more diverse countries. In Quebec, Montreal welcomed many immigrants from non-Western countries. Quebec and Canada as a whole were becoming more multicultural.
Multiculturalism outlines how different cultures within society coexist.
