23. Why are the requirements different for a CSQ than for a Federal Skilled Worker application?
Quebec is a culturally distinct province, and the only predominantly francophone province in Canada. A candidate's chances of being selected by Quebec depend on his or her ability and willingness to settle and work in the province and adapt to life in the province. Quebec has had the right to define its own criteria for the selection of immigrants since 1991, when the province signed the Canada-Quebec Accord. This agreement between the provincial and federal governments came about in the context of rising separatist sentiment in Quebec, and although Quebec residents voted to remain part of Canada, the selection of immigrants according to Quebec's own criteria remains an important part of the province's identity. However, the right to move around Canada, as established in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, remains in the Canada-Quebec Accord.