The increase in the number of French-speaking immigrants settling outside of Quebec is significant.
In 2006, there were 2,800 admissions of francophone immigrants outside of Quebec, accounting for only 1.38% of those admitted.
Launch of the widget. Skip the widget?
end of the widget. Back to the top of the widget?
Sean Fraser, Minister for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, was at the École Secondaire Catholique Franco-Cité in Sturgeon Falls in northern Ontario on Monday morning to make the announcement.
We have achieved our goal, this is an important moment that reflects the importance and contribution of French-speaking immigrants to the vitality and development of francophone communities outside of Quebec, the minister said in a statement.
A goal that is often pushed back
The Francophone immigration target of 4.4% was set in 2003. The original deadline was 2008 but has been pushed back several times. She had never been reached before this year.
In a report published in 2021, Canada’s Official Languages Commissioner, Raymond Théberge, expressed concern that Canada had never met its goals regarding Francophone immigration.
He pointed out that these failures helped reduce the weight of non-Quebec Francophones in the country.
For this reason, in April, the Federation of Francophone and Acadian Communities asked Canada to set a new target to be achieved by 2036. According to the organization, the country is set to receive 12% of Francophone immigrants by 2024 and 20% by 2036. if he hopes to rectify the situation and limit the decline in the demographic weight of Francophones in a minority situation.
Launch of the widget. Skip the widget?
end of the widget. Back to the top of the widget?
Canada’s Francophone minority population, defined by mother tongue and first official language spoken, accounted for 4.4% of the population in 2001 and 3.3% of the population in 2021.
FCFA Vice-President Yves-Gérard Méhou-Loko compared Francophone immigration to climbing a mountain.
“Today we reached the first base camp. Let’s strive for the top, let’s strive to reach those goals. »
— A quote from Yves-Gérard Méhou-Loko, Vice-President of the FCFA
It should be noted that the federal government does not track the movements of francophone immigrants who settle in another community, such as Quebec, after arriving in the country.
A plan, but no new goals
However, Minister Sean Fraser did not commit to setting new destinations for Francophone immigration outside of Quebec.
Sean Fraser, Minister for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, was at the École Secondaire Catholique Franco-Cité in Sturgeon Falls, Ontario, where he gave a press conference on January 23, 2023.
Photo: Radio Canada / Chris Saint-Pierre
The next step isn’t just a new goal, the next step requires a new plan, Fraser said.
In his opinion, it would not be possible to reach a 12% francophone immigration target at the moment because there were not enough applications.
Instead, the minister is relying on a solid plan drawn up in consultation with the provinces and francophone organizations to ensure that more ambitious targets are met.
Ottawa is working on Bill C-13 to amend the Official Languages Act to establish its new goals and new goals for Francophone immigration. The project is currently in the evaluation phase and has yet to be approved.
Disappointing results in New Brunswick
Monday’s announcement left the president of the Société de l’Acadie du Nouveau-Braunschweig speechless. In a publication on the Twitter platform, Alexandre-Cédric Doucet believes that Ottawa should not congratulate itself and that the province needs more autonomy.
Don’t congratulate a train that arrives on time. The 4.4% target translates directly into an assimilative immigration policy for NB’s Acadian and Francophone communities. NB as an officially bilingual province needs more autonomy in immigration, writes Mr. Doucet.
Launch of the Twitter widget. Skip widget? End of the Twitter widget. Back to the top of the widget?
When asked about this, Secretary Sean Fraser indicated that based on his discussions with several stakeholders, Francophone immigration to New Brunswick prefers to continue working with the federal and provincial systems.
The Liberal deputy for the Orléans Riding and parliamentary secretary to the minister, Marie-France Lalonde, was more outspoken.
Marie-France Lalonde is Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship. (file photo)
Photo: The Canadian Press/Adrian Wyld
When we look at the New Brunswick government’s actions in relation to an educational decision, the federal government also needs to protect certain assets. The province must demonstrate its deep commitment to protecting and improving services in French, she said.