Canada’s federal, provincial and territorial immigration ministers have joined together to discuss ways to increase Francophone immigration outside Quebec.
On Friday, the ministers announced a new federal-provincial-territorial FPT Action Plan for Increasing Francophone Immigration Outside of Quebec. The Action Plan outlines actions that federal, provincial and territorial governments can take individually or collaboratively to increase Francophone immigration.
“The federal government is committed to helping to build and sustain Francophone minority communities across Canada, in part through Francophone immigration,” said Ahmed Hussen, Canada’s Federal Immigration Minister. “This meeting is an opportunity for us to demonstrate real leadership through our own actions, and by mobilising others – such as employers and communities – to support the directions set out in the FPT Action Plan we are approving.”
Examples of concrete actions in the Action Plan include:
– Promoting awareness of Francophone immigration opportunities, immigration pathways and settlement services to prospective French-speaking applicants;
– Increasing employer engagement in French-speaking immigrant recruitment and employment;
– Increasing the availability, awareness and accessibility of French language services; and
– Supporting diverse and inclusive Francophone communities.
Meanwhile, the Action Plan supports the following outcomes:
– An increased number of French-speaking immigrants settling in Canada outside Quebec;
– An increased participation rate of French-speaking immigrants in local labour markets; and
– An increased participation rate of French-speaking immigrants in broader communities and social networks.
“Our commitment to the Canadian Francophonie is reflected in our actions,” said Mélanie Joly, Minister of Canadian Heritage. “Francophone immigration is an integral part of the measures we are putting in place to support the vitality of French-speaking minority communities.”
The ministers agreed that the tracking of progress to achieve the objectives laid out in the Action Plan will be key. To this end, ministers committed to develop appropriate indicators and to foster the ongoing sharing of best practices to enable the reporting of progress over time. They will also continue to share progress periodically with each other and the community.
Article published 5th March 2018