Rural Canadian town that once rejected immigrants by local law now embraces their contributions. What changed?

Habiba Hmadi, a native of Tunisia, lives in Hérouxville.
(Photo by Nasuna Stuart-Ulin of The New York Times)

Fearing further dilution of French culture, Quebec has been the outlier in broad Canadian support for immigration. In 2007, Hérouxville, Quebec, pop. 1,300, set a code of conduct that caused a national buzz with its bold message: Immigrants and their traditions were not welcome, and there would be no "stoning women to death in the town square," Christmas was celebrated, and Halloween was the only time citizens could cover their faces, reports Norimitsu Onishi of The New York Times.

Ten years after Hérouxville's code was established, Canada adopted a sweeping pro-immigration policy, Onishi writes. Now the shift has made its way into Quebec, including Hérouxville. Bernard Thompson, the mayor of Hérouxville, Quebec, a one-time supporter of the town’s anti-immigrant code, told Onishi, "We now want as many immigrants as possible."

New York Times map

Hérouxville's cultural attitude shift "stemmed from a combination of factors, including an aging population, a low birthrate, the need to fill an acute labor shortage," Onishi reports. "But also profound shifts in views among younger generations and the personal journeys of individuals like Mr. Thompson.

“If we’re unable to respect each other’s culture, whether it’s religious or not, I think that’s a mistake,” Thompson told Onishi. “We have to show an openness.”

Canada's his continuing its pro-immigration policy: "Canada’s federal government has announced plans to welcome record numbers of new immigrants over the next three years, with the goal of adding 1.45 million immigrants to the country’s population of 39 million," Onishi reports. "In contrast to other Western nations, where immigration has cleaved societies and fueled the rise of political extremism, there is a broad consensus in Canada over the value of immigration."