People often ask me: why do immigrants choose Quebec? Canadian citizenship, education for the children, quality of life. Those reasons exist. They are legitimate.
But my own turning point came neither from an administrative goal nor from a financial calculation. It came from a Quebec entrepreneur.
Before immigrating, I took part in several recruitment mandates from Sfax, in Tunisia. There I met employers who had come looking for skills, of course, but above all for people. What struck me was neither the urgency of filling positions nor the talk about performance. It was the stance. The respect. The equality in the exchange. The simplicity of the relationship.
On one mandate in particular, Martin had come to recruit. Between two interviews, we talked about culture, respect, values. Subjects that are rarely central to a hiring process. At the end of the day, there was an invitation: come and see the province. That is the moment my decision to immigrate to Quebec took on its full meaning.
I chose this province because of its entrepreneurs. And, like me, thousands of people have made that choice because of them.
That is where everything is decided
The real anchor point with Quebec is neither a law nor a program. It is the entrepreneur. They are the first door, the first face, the first reference point in a territory that is still abstract. Before the paperwork and the French classes, there is an employer who places their trust in you and who embodies, day to day, a work culture — and also a certain idea of Quebec.
But sometimes that anchor weakens
It weakens when the cultural messages and the values stay vague.
It weakens when the welcome and integration structures are too fragile to bear the weight of human and professional realities.
It weakens when laws seem disconnected from the ground and from operational realities.
It weakens when inclusion is seen as a natural process that will take care of itself, or as one party's effort alone.
It weakens when success stories are told as simple journeys, when they are often the result of immense, patient and demanding work — on the employer's side as much as the worker's.
Without a solid human anchor in the workplace, there is no lasting anchor in Quebec. Conversely, when that bond is recognized, supported and equipped, trajectories change, projects take root and everything becomes possible.
I have plenty of stories about diversity. Too many for a single article. So I would like to invite you to continue the reflection with me.
What subjects would you like me to take up from this reality on the ground? Your questions are often the ones others are living without daring to put into words.
And that is often where real dialogue begins.
I wish you a wonderful 2026!
