Question Period Note: Official Languages Investments in the Atlantic Region

Summary of the Government of Canada's investments and achievements in support of French in the Atlantic Region since the launch of the Action Plan for Official Languages.

• The Action Plan for Official Languages 2018-2023 represents the most comprehensive investment in official languages in Canada’s history.
• Since April 2018, we have invested more than $37 million in the Atlantic provinces in support of projects for official-language minority communities.
• Under the Action Plan, 51 community organizations in the Atlantic provinces received an increase of 20 percent of their annual financing. These investments directly support the development and vitality of official-language minority communities.

• Since April 2018, the Department of Canadian Heritage invested over $37.2 million in the Atlantic Region in support of official-language minority communities.
• This total represents investments in New Brunswick ($21.8 million), Nova Scotia ($6.9 million), Prince Edward Island ($3.7 million) and Newfoundland and Labrador ($4.8 million).
• In 2018-2019, the Department increased by 20 percent the core funding for 51 organizations in the region, representing 19 groups in New Brunswick, 18 in Nova Scotia, 6 in Prince Edward Island and 8 in Newfoundland and Labrador.
• As part of the Action Plan, and following the dialogues held in the fall of 2018 with communities in the Atlantic Region, 12 organizations were targeted for funding in addition to the bonus announced in May 2018. Also, several recurring projects (9) are now funded as programming.
• According to Statistics Canada (2016), 269 130 people in the Atlantic provinces identify French as their mother tongue. New Brunswick, the only official bilingual province in the country, is home to 232,450 Francophones. There are 29,465 in Nova Scotia, 4,865 in Prince Edward Island and 2,350 in Newfoundland and Labrador.
 

• Investments totaling $7.9 million have been provided for two capital projects in New Brunswick: the Cafétorium-Théâtre at the Étoile de l’Acadie school in Rogersville ($3,928,879) and a new daycare centre attached to the Oromocto school ($3,350,000).
• The Action Plan for Official Languages 2018-2023 represents the most comprehensive investment in official languages in Canada’s history, that is, nearly $2.7 billion, including close to $500 million in new funding.

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