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 from previous Action Plans, the 19 federal partners of the Action Plan for Official Languages 2023–2028 are delivering 82 initiatives in support of official languages, worth $4.1 billion over 5 years.

• The implementation of the Action Plan 2023-2028 continues to pursue its main objective of protecting and promoting our two official languages.
• This significant investment of 4.1 billion dollars over five years supports Francophone immigration objectives, promotes learning opportunities in both official languages, and supports the delivery of essential services to official language minority communities
• The mid-term review of the Action Plan 2023-2028 is nearing completion and reveals that all the initiatives have been implemented, that they have a positive impact on official language minority communities, but that improvements should be considered to reduce processing times at the beginning of the fiscal year. A report will be made public soon.

• The 19 federal institutions partnering in Action Plan for Official Languages 2023–2028 (Action Plan 2023-2028) continue to implement the initiatives in that five-year government strategy, which represents a historic official languages investment of $4.1 billion over five years—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 put in place, for a total new-funding disbursement of $183 million. This new funding was in addition to the $549 million in ongoing funding for 49 renewed historical 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 in place, with a total of over $780 million in funds disbursed.
• From Year 3 to Year 5, annual disbursements of between $840 million to $850 million per year (20 to 22% of the total $4.1 billion envelope) are anticipated.
• Here are some of the key milestones reached during the first two years of implementation of Action Plan 2023-2028:
o Since 2023–2024, Canadian Heritage prioritized the intergovernmental agreements on the distribution of funding to the provinces and territories, both for education and for services, and the increase in 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 funding for a portion of the network of over 400 non-governmental organizations working to support the official languages and the communities that speak to them across Canada. Of the $1.4 billion in new funding, some $304 million is going directly to community organizations and stakeholders to foster the development of their communities.
o In 2023–2024, Canadian Heritage, launched the Partnerships to Strengthen Part Part VII of the Official Languages Act (formerly known as the Centre for Strengthening Part VII of the Official Languages Act). This partnership between Canadian Heritage and the Treasury Board Secretariat will help strengthen leadership within the federal administration, ensure coordination of federal efforts, and foster greater collaboration with Canadians, for the benefit and increased visibility of our official languages—and the protection and promotion of French across Canada.
o In 2024–2025, dialogue sessions were undertaken with community organizations and official languages stakeholders to work out how the new or improved initiatives could be implemented “by and for” communities.
o An Accountability Framework covering the overarching societal objectives of Action Plan 2023-2028 was made available to Canadians via Canada.ca on June 4, 2025.
o Annual reporting on the Action Plan as a whole and on 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 exercise for Action Plan 2023-2028 was launched in fall 2025 with dialogue sessions that provided an opportunity to take stock of the first years of implementation. A report on the mid-term review will then be published on Canada.ca in spring 2026.
• Action Plan 2023-2028 is structured around four 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 totalling $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 5 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 $22.1 million in new funding.

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