Question Period Note: French Immersion and Second Language Learning

The Executive Director of the Canadian Association of Immersion Professionals explains that the lack of French-speaking teachers is forcing French immersion schools in Ontario to hire English-speaking teachers who don't have the required level of French.

• French immersion and French-as-a-second-language programs are particularly coveted, and our government has taken steps to alleviate the shortage of qualified French-speaking teachers.
• Our 2023-2028 Action Plan provides for additional investments of $242.8 million for second-language learning at all levels and to support the provinces and territories in offering French-second-language programs, in addition to new targeted investments in teacher recruitment and retention.
• The Official Languages Act that we modernized recognizes the importance of access to second-language learning opportunities, and we will continue to work with provincial and territorial governments to help them meet this growing demand for qualified teachers.

• The Executive Director of the Canadian Association of Immersion Professionals explains that the lack of French-speaking teachers is forcing French immersion schools in Ontario to hire English-speaking teachers who don't have the required level of French. This situation can be explained by the soaring popularity of French immersion classes, as well as by young people's declining interest in the profession, she points out.
• By 2021, the Canadian Association of Immersion Professionals and the Canadian Association of Second Language Teachers estimate that there will be a shortage of nearly 10,000 French-speaking teachers in French immersion and French as a second language schools in Canada. What's more, the situation would be even more difficult in rural areas than in major urban centers.
• The modernized Official Languages Act recognizes the importance of providing every person in Canada with the opportunity to learn a second official language, and the contribution of all those in Canada who speak both official languages to mutual appreciation between the two communities.
• Budget 2023 grants funding of $679.2 million over five years, beginning in 2023-2024, to support access to education services of equal quality by working with provinces and territories to facilitate access to quality minority-language education, second-language learning opportunities and bilingual government services across Canada.
• Thanks to funding from Budget 2023, the 2023-2028 Action Plan provides up to $242.8 million over 4 years starting in 2024-2025 to support French-second-language learning at all levels, and to support provinces and territories in offering French-second-language programs, including French immersion programs, to better meet the demands of Canadians and growing educational needs. This initiative aims to actively contribute to increasing the number of bilingual Canadians across the country, while working with our provincial and territorial partners to reduce waiting lists for second-language programs across the country. This funding is in addition to the $65.8 million (for the 2023-2024 period) announced in the 2021 Budget.
• In addition, the 2023-2028 Action Plan provides up to $15.2 million over 5 years for Canadian Heritage to support provinces and territories in strengthening teacher recruitment and retention for French-language minority schools and French second-language programs. This funding is in addition to the $3.8 million (for the 2023-2024 period) announced in the 2021 Budget.
• The 2023-2028 Action Plan also provides more than $16 million over 5 years to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada for a series of initiatives aimed at increasing the number and retention of foreign-recruited elementary and secondary French-language and French-speaking teachers to immigrate and settle in Francophone minority communities, thereby helping to reduce teacher shortages.
• For the Government of Canada, being able to offer Canadians the opportunity to learn their second official language represents equality of opportunity and realizing the vision of a bilingual Canada.
• The Protocol for Agreements for Minority-Language Education and Second-Language Instruction 2019-2023 between the Government of Canada and the provinces and territories is a multilateral framework which sets out the broad parameters for cooperation between the two levels of government in the area of official languages in education, and provides a mechanism by which the Government of Canada contributes to the costs incurred by the provinces and territories for minority language and second language education. Under the parameters of the Protocol, each province and territory must negotiate a bilateral agreement tailored to its priorities in order to obtain federal funding. Although it subscribes to the general principles of the Protocol, the Government of Quebec is not a signatory. Negotiations to renew the Protocol are scheduled for fall 2023 with provincial and territorial governments through the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada (CMEC).
• Under the current bilateral education agreements, the Government of Canada provides $235.5 million per year to the provinces and territories ($150.2 million for minority-language education and $85.3 million for second-language instruction).

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