[nik-]

I think they probably encouraged and desired segregation at the start, but no, they didn't enforce it. The radicalization came over time as an unintended consequence.

I don't think Europe, mainly France, can fix this problem at this point, and if it starts tilting that way in Canada, I'm not sure what we can do either. People want to be with others of their culture and language, and that's totally understandable, but in the end, you're choosing to move to another country, and allowing yourself to be exposed the views and customs of that country is critical. Your neighbourhood being an echo chamber, eventually pushing more and more extreme, is a nightmare.