In the 2014 election, Jolin-Barrette defeated the PQ candidate in Borduas, Pierre Duchesne (the then Minister of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology), by 99 votes.[6] Notwithstanding the small margin of defeat, Duchesne and the PQ chose not to seek a judicial recount of the ballots.[7]
As Minister of Immigration Jolin-Barrette in 2019, he introduced and passed Bill 21, the bill bans public workers in positions of authority from wearing religious symbols. The government invoked section 33 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (the notwithstanding clause) so as to prevent it from being overturned by the courts.[8]
Jolin-Barrette has been criticized by some for his introduction of Bill 9,[9] on February 7, 2019, cancelling out 18,000 immigration applications (Quebec Selection Certificates). The 18,000 applications from various parts of the world were accepted by the immigration department of Quebec according to the existing immigration intake rules at the time. After the CAQ government took charge, those applications were cancelled for which the immigration lawyer's association of Quebec has filed [10] and won a temporary injunction from the Superior court of Quebec.[11]
In late 2019, under Jolin Barrette term as Minister of Immigration Quebec he introduced a Quebec values test where immigrants would have to pass.[12][13][14][15][16]
Also in 2019, under Jolin Barrette term as Minister the title of Minister of Immigration, Diversity, and Inclusion was changed to Minister of Immigration, Francization and Integration.[17]
Minister of Justice and French Language (2020–present)
On June 22, 2020, Premier Legault shuffled his cabinet, and Jolin-Barrette was moved to the Ministry of Justice.[18]
In late 2020, Jolin-Barrette announced plans for 2021 that he will be strengthening Bill 101, the French language in the province of Quebec.[19][20]
On October 21, he announced bill 2, an omnibus bill meant to reform family law. This bill faced unanimous disapproval from the trans community in Quebec.[28][29][30] Members of the trans community expressed fears that it would return Québec to the legal gender recognition laws that existed before 2015, could forcibly out trans people (if they chose to add the "gender" option instead of applying to change the "sex" field), and could potentially lead to people being "forced" into having surgery in order to change the contents of the "sex" field.[28] Celeste Trianon of the Centre for Gender Advocacy at Concordia University argued that the bill was "attempting to reintroduce a sterilizing surgical requirement," calling it "a direct attack on the trans community." Manon Massé, Québec solidaire co-leader, said that her party still needed to review the entirety of the bill, but that it appeared like it would move Québec "backwards in terms of the rights of trans, intersex and non-binary people."[31]Quebec Liberal Party LGBT+ spokesperson Jennifer Maccarone stated that the provisions were a "regressive change."[32]
On June 1, 2022, Jolin-Barette became the first to hold the position of minister of the French language; this was following the gaining of royal assent of Bill 96.[33]
^"Pas de dépouillement judiciaire dans Ste-Marie-St-Jacques". La Presse. April 11, 2014. Archived from the original on April 14, 2014. Retrieved April 11, 2014. Dans la circonscription de Borduas, l'ex-ministre de l'Enseignement supérieur et ténor péquiste Pierre Duchesne a décidé de ne pas contester le résultat du scrutin.
Party leaders listed first (in bold italics). Government members in bold denotes cabinet. † Party does not have official party status in the National Assembly.
