Question Period Note: Action Plan for Official Languages 2023–2028: Protection–Promotion–Collaboration

The Government of Canada has implemented all 33 of the new or enhanced initiatives in Action Plan for Official Languages 2023–2028. When combined with the 49 ongoing initiatives inherited from previous action plans, 19 federal institution partners of the Action Plan for Official Languages 2023–2028 represents a total of 82 initiatives in support of official languages, worth $4.1 billion over 5 years.

• The Action Plan is being implemented and continues to pursue its main objective, which is to create conditions that enable Canadians to live and thrive in both official languages.
• In 2024-2025, more than $780 million had been invested and all 82 initiatives were in place.
• Dialogue sessions are ongoing with community organizations and official languages stakeholders to ensure the effective implementation of the Action Plan’s initiatives.

• The 19 federal institutions partnering in Action Plan for Official Languages 2023–2028 (Action Plan 2023-2028) are continuing to implement the initiatives in that five-year government strategy, which represents a historic investment of $4.1 billion over five years in official languages—including $1.4 billion in new funding—shared among 82 initiatives
• By the end of year 1 (2023–2024), 29 of the 33 new or enhanced initiatives had been implemented, for a total new-funding disbursement of $183 million. This new funding was in addition to the $549 million in ongoing funding for 49 historic and renewed initiatives, bringing total year 1 disbursements to $732 million. Canadian Heritage's Annual Report on Official Languages 2023-2024, released in June 2025, reports on the progress and key results of this first year of implementation.
• In Year 2 (2024–2025), all 82 initiatives were fully implemented, with a total of over $780 million in funds disbursed.
• From Year 3 to Year 5, annual disbursements ranging from $840 to $850 million per year are planned, representing 20% to 22% of the total 4.1 billion dollars envelope.
• Here are some of the key milestones reached during the first two years of implementation of Action Plan 2023-2028:
o In 2023–2024, Canadian Heritage prioritized the intergovernmental agreements on the distribution of funding to the provinces and territories, both for education and services, and the increased core funding for community organizations.
o On January 16, 2024, the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship announced a series of initiatives to support Francophone immigration outside Quebec, including a new Policy on Francophone Immigration.
o On March 1, 2024, the Minister responsible for Official Languages announced an immediate 12.5% increase, until 2028, in Canadian Heritage’s funding for over 300 organizations working to enhance the vitality of official language minority communities and protect and promote the official languages in Canada. This funding could be increased by up to 25% in the coming years in the case of organizations whose work aligns with Action Plan 2023-2028 priorities.
o Action Plan 2023-2028 provides annual funding for part of a network of over 400 non-governmental organizations working to support the official languages and their communities across the country. Of the $1.4 billion in new funding, some $304 million will go directly to community organizations and stakeholders to foster the development of their communities.
o In 2023–2024, Canadian Heritage, in collaboration with the Treasury Board Secretariat, launched the Horizontal Initiative for the Strengthening of Part VII of the Official Languages Act (now known as the Partnerships to Strengthen Part VII of the Official Languages Act), aimed at strengthening leadership within the federal administration, ensure coordination of federal efforts, and foster greater collaboration with Canadians, for the benefit and the increased visibility of our official languages—and the protection and promotion of French across Canada.
o In 2024–2025, cross-Canada dialogue sessions were undertaken with community organizations and official languages stakeholders to work out how the new or improved initiatives can be implemented “by and for” communities.
o An Accountability Framework covering its overarching societal objectives was made available to Canadians via Canada.ca on 4 June 2025.
o Annual reporting as a whole and its 82 individual initiatives will continue to be improved, including by way of a public dashboard showing the status of implementation (disbursements and tangible results for Canadians).
o The mid-term review of the Action Plan 2023-2028 was launched in autumn 2025 with dialogue sessions that will provide an opportunity to take stock of the first years of implementation. A mid-term review will then be published on Canada.ca in spring 2026.
• Action Plan 2023-2028 is structured around 4 pillars, each with its own initiatives and associated funding amounts:
1. Francophone Immigration: Towards the Re-Establishment of the Demographic Weight of Francophones –This pillar features 7 new or enhanced initiatives totaling $137.2 million over 5 years in new investments.
2. Promoting Lifelong Learning Opportunities – This pillar features 10 new or enhanced initiatives totalling $763.8 million over five years in new funding.
3. Strong Measures in Support of Community Vitality – This pillar features 14 initiatives totalling $465.9 million in new funding.
4. Leading by Example: Acting and Collaborating to Strengthen Communities – This pillar features 2 initiatives totalling $22.1M in new funding.

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