Question Period Note: Support for Official Language Minority Communities in Southern Ontario

Support for Official Language Minority Communities in Southern Ontario

• Southern Ontario is home to the largest French-speaking population outside of Quebec.

• The Government of Canada, through the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario), has made a number of investments in recent years to support the growth of Francophone businesses and attract visitors into these communities.

• These investments have helped Francophone entrepreneurs to grow their businesses.

• The Government will continue making investments to support jobs and promote economic growth of Francophone businesses in southern Ontario.

• Official language minority communities (OLMCs) in Ontario represent the largest Francophone population in Canada outside Quebec. Southern Ontario is home to more than 75 percent of Ontario’s total Francophone population.

• FedDev Ontario has undertaken a number of investments over the past several years to provide support to these communities, with targeted measures to:
o Address the economic challenges and build on regional strengths of OLMCs through $800,000 invested annually under the Economic Development Initiative (EDI). For example, l’Assemblée de la francophonie de l’Ontario received $1.5 million over four years to provide Francophone businesses and organizations with between $2,500-$25,000 in funding to support local development initiatives, including access to business mentoring and coaching.
o Support entrepreneurship among Francophone-led and owned businesses. Under national programming, FedDev Ontario is supporting ten projects that total $7 million to provide entrepreneurship supports to Francophone entrepreneurs that are also Black and/or female, under the Women Entrepreneurship Strategy Ecosystem Fund and the Black Entrepreneurship Program (BEP) Ecosystem Fund. For example, under the BEP, the Mouvement Ontarien des Femmes Immigrantes Francophones is receiving $1.7 million to provide access for Black entrepreneurs and Black-led businesses to advisory services, mentorship, networking events, coaching, an international Black Economic Forum, an entrepreneurial Bootcamp, as well as introductions to potential partners/investors to help them start and or grow their businesses.

• FedDev Ontario recently relaunched its Economic Development Initiative (EDI) in southern Ontario. One of several federal initiatives under the Action Plan for Official Languages 2023–2028: Protection-Promotion-Collaboration, the EDI aims to support official language minority communities (OLMCs) by strengthening the rich cultural fabric of Francophone communities, while accelerating economic growth within these communities. The objective of the Initiative is to provide financial support for projects that encourage economic diversification, business development, innovation, and partnerships, and that provide increased support for small and medium-sized businesses in OLMCs.

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