Question Period Note: Francophone Immigration in French-speaking minority communities

On September 20, 2022, the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada released his plan for immigration, including Francophone immigration. The Plan sets out a number of measures to increase the number of Francophone immigrants to Canada: making the Express Entry program more flexible, revising the access routes to francophone immigration and involving municipalities more.

• Francophone immigration is an essential tool for increasing the demographic weight of Francophone minority communities across the country.
• We actively collaborated with the Department of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship while modernizing the Official Languages Act and are continuing to do so as we set new objectives for the 2023-2028 Action Plan for Official Languages.
• Our Bill to modernize and strengthen the Official Languages Act sets out the obligation to adopt a Francophone immigration policy with clear objectives, targets and indicators.

• According to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) data:
o In 2021, out of almost 406,000 permanent residents admitted to Canada, close to 36,000 were French-speakers, 80% of whom (29,000) chose the province of Quebec as their intended destination and 20% (close to 7,000) chose another province or territory.
• From January 2021 to January 2022, 61% of French-speaking permanent residents admitted to Canada outside Quebec were in the Economic Class and 43% of French-speaking permanent residents in Canada outside Quebec were admitted via Express Entry. The Canadian Experience Class became the main driver of French-speaking admissions outside Quebec, accounting for close to a third (28%) of all admissions and slightly less than half of admissions of French-speaking admissions (47%) under the economic class.
• On September 20, 2022, the Minister of IRCC released his plan for immigration, including Francophone immigration. Le Plan has 5 pillars, of which Pillar 4: Support Communities in Attracting and Retaining Newcomers, including through Francophone Immigration. Some of the measures envisaged to increase the number of francophone arrivals in Canada: making the Express Entry program more flexible, revising the access routes to francophone immigration and involving municipalities more. The Francophone immigration measure in the IRCC Plan aims to ensure that the target of 4.4% Francophone immigrants is met by 2023 to help address labour shortages and promote the vitality of French-speaking minority communities. The Minister of IRCC announced that Canada intends to welcome 1.5 million immigrants over the next three years, while Quebec intends to limit to 50,000 immigrants per year who can settle in the province.
• In June 2022, the Minister of IRCC confirmed that a second African visa office will open in Yaoundé, the capital of Cameroon, but the opening date is not confirmed. The opening of this office responds to a request from the Francophone community.
• On May 31, 2022, the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration tabled its report entitled Differential Treatment in the Recruitment and Acceptance Rates of International Students in Quebec and the Rest of Canada. The report contains 35 recommendations for the Department of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada including recommendation 7, which suggests issuing a directive with respect to Francophone immigration.
• In a press release published on April 4, 2022, the Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne (FCFA) published a study on the target for Francophone immigration in minority settings. The FCFA is calling for the demographic weight of Francophone minority communities to be restored to 4.4%, what it was in 2001. To achieve this, the organization is proposing a marked and progressive increase in the target for Francophone immigration, from the current target of 4.4% to 12% in 2024 and then 20% in 2036. The study published projects several scenarios in order to restore a previous demographic weight of Francophones outside Quebec, which dates from 2001.
• On March 1st, 2022, the Minister of Official Languages tabled Bill C-13 An Act to amend the Official Languages Act, to enact the Use of French in Federally Regulated Businesses Act and to make related amendments to other Acts in the House of Commons. The Bill significantly strengthens Francophone immigration: the modernized Act would set out the obligation for Canada to have a Francophone immigration policy that will contain objectives, targets and indicators to increase Francophone immigration to Francophone minority communities.
• Changes proposed in the reform document, entitled English and French: Towards Substantive Equality of Official Languages in Canada (February 2021), include administrative measures to address labour market shortages of French teachers, including:
o That the Minister of IRCC set up a new Francophone immigration corridor specifically aimed at recruiting Francophone and French-language teachers—for immersion and teaching of second language programs, and for French-language education.
o That the government develop, with the provincial and territorial governments, a framework for the recognition of diplomas in teaching French immersion, French as a second language and teachers of French as a first language that can be applied across the country.

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