Question Period Note: Restoring and increasing the demographic weight of Francophones through immigration

Announced on November 4, 2025, Budget 2025 sets new targets for admissions of French-speaking immigrants outside Quebec of 9% in 2026, 9.5% in 2027 and 10.5% in 2028.

• The modernized Official Languages Act recognizes the importance of Francophone immigration in strengthening the vitality of Francophone minority communities.
• The Government of Canada has adopted a Policy on Francophone Immigration that proposes measures to strengthen Francophone immigration outside Quebec and meet or exceed our targets, as we did in 2024 with a rate of over 7%.
• We will continue to work closely with our partners to achieve our goal of increasing Francophone immigration outside of Quebec to 10,5% by 2028.

• Announced on November 4, 2025, Budget 2025 sets new targets for admissions of French-speaking immigrants outside Quebec of 9% in 2026, 9.5% in 2027 and 10.5% in 2028.
• In its platform for the federal election on 28 April 2025, the Liberal Party announced a 12% target for Francophone immigration outside Quebec by 2029.
• In 2024, the Government of Canada exceeded its 6% target for Francophone immigration outside Quebec, reaching 7.21%.
o The President of the Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne du Canada agrees that this result is good news and is promising for the years to come.
• On October 24, 2024, the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, announced the 2025–2027 Immigration Levels Plan, which, for the first time, reduces the targets for permanent residents.
o Despite lowering the overall targets for permanent residents, this Plan includes measures to strengthen Francophone communities outside Quebec and support their economic prosperity. The Plan contains increased targets for French-speaking immigrants compared with the previous plan which will now represent 8.5% in 2025, 9.5% in 2026 and 10% in 2027.
• On January 16, 2024, the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship announced measures to promote Francophone immigration outside Quebec, including:
o a Policy on Francophone Immigration that is based on a series of measures—such as increased promotion and recruitment support efforts, both in Canada and abroad, particularly for specific lines of business—in order to address labour shortages; and that will provide for the development of a new program and new measures dedicated to Francophone economic immigration;
o the renewal of the Welcoming Francophone Communities initiative, which will see 24 Canadian communities (up from 14) receive funding to foster the integration of French-speaking newcomers; and
o the introduction of a new Francophone Immigration Support Program that will fund innovative projects to eliminate barriers to Francophone immigration, particularly in terms of promoting Francophone minority communities internationally and supporting and recruiting French-speaking candidates.
• In January 2024, the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship announced that he would establish a temporary two-year cap on international students. In August 2024, the Minister announced a pilot project that would exempt 2,300 French-speaking students from the study permit cap imposed on international students.
• These initiatives are supported by Action Plan for Official Languages 2023–2028, which earmarks $137.2 million for the pillar entitled Francophone Immigration: Towards the Re-Establishment of the Demographic Weight of Francophones to implement 7 initiatives featuring a series of measures in support of the immigration continuum, from promoting Francophone minority communities, to recruiting abroad, to successfully integrating newcomers.
• The modernized Official Languages Act requires Canada to adopt a Francophone immigration policy with objectives, targets and indicators, as well as a statement that the Government of Canada recognizes the importance of Francophone immigration in enhancing the vitality of French linguistic minority communities, including by restoring and increasing their demographic weight.

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