There has been a significant increase in Canadians who report that French is their first official language, but there has also been a decrease in the number of Canadians who speak French from the year 2016 (22.2%) to the year 2022 (21.4). According to the “Meeting our Objectives: Francophone Immigration Strategy” published by IRCC in 2019, the goal of 4.4% of French-speaking immigrants outside Quebec by 2023 is to be achieved.
IRCC Minister Sean Fraser, Marie-France Lalonde, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister, and Marc G., the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), met in Sturgeon Falls on January 23rd. A few weeks ago, Serré, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Official Languages, announced in Sturgeon Falls that Canada had achieved its 4.4% goal by 2022.
Canadians will welcome the largest number of francophone immigrants since 2006 in 2022. The number of Francophone immigrants outside Quebec was just over 2,800 in 2006, making up 1.38 percent of the entire population. There has been an increase of 3.02% since 2006 in the number of new immigrants who settled in francophone minorities across the country in the past year. This is the largest number of French-speaking immigrants outside of Quebec since Canada began recording immigration data.
As a result of an increase of 42,470 permanent residents of the Francophone community over the past five years, and an increase each year in immigration levels, the Francophone immigrant population has continued to grow. Consequently, not only has Canada reached its target, but it has also welcomed more than three times the number of immigrants since 2018.
By achieving this goal, Canada is demonstrating its support for fostering the strength of Francophone minorities outside of Quebec and recognizing the importance of Francophone immigrants in the country as well. In addition to contributing to the diversity of the Canadian cultural and linguistic landscape, the newcomers are also contributing to economic development by addressing labour shortages across the country and contributing to the development of the French language.
By committing to promoting population growth and economic prosperity in the upcoming years, the Canadian government is committing itself to increase Francophone immigration outside Quebec in the upcoming years. The Government of Canada has allocated $40.7 million for Francophone immigration initiatives as part of the Action Plan for Official Languages 2018-2023.
There was an announcement made by Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Minister of Official Languages, that they would like to adopt a new Francophone immigration policy, which has been proposed in the form of Bill C-13, that will include objectives and targets that will ensure that the French language is perpetuated in Canada.
Leave a Reply