MONTREAL — Introduced this month with the new Real Estate Brokerage Act, realtors-in-training will have to prove their skills – either by having studied a certain amount of French in high school, or by taking an exam at the Office québécois de la langue française.
But just like the recent debate on whether Supreme Court judges need to be bilingual, some observers are asking whether all Quebec realtors need strong French skills.
The OACIQ – the new body which administers the Brokerage Act – says the requirement was added to ensure all realtors can draw up legal documents in French.
In Quebec, all contracts must be written in French, unless another language is requested by the parties.
But real estate agents from Quebec’s cultural communities say the new requirements will bar many immigrants – who are already hobbled by a high unemployment rate – from entering the profession.
They say realtors from ethnic backgrounds often specialize in markets where their language of business is neither English, nor French but Mandarin or Hindi.
“I don’t disagree with the importance of speaking French, but it will affect immigrants,” said Bruce Lai, an agent with Groupe Sam’s Inc., a firm that serves clients in more than 18 languages.
“A lot of (our) agents are Asians, and they’re doing well because they cater to their community.”
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