(Ottawa) The objective has been set at 6% of French-speaking newcomers in majority English-speaking provinces in 2024, but Minister Marc Miller says he is ready to increase it if the measures to achieve this target produce the expected results. He was in Caraquet, New Brunswick, to announce new programs dedicated to French-speaking immigration.
“I didn’t have the confidence in setting the levels for this policy that we were going to be able to move to 10, 12%, so I simply didn’t want to be an idiot,” he responded to a question from a journalist. At the end of this year, if I have this confidence that this structure is in place and that we meet our 6%, I am ready to revise these numbers. »
The government maintains that the targets for French-speaking immigrants outside Quebec announced in November are “ambitious, realistic and achievable”. The government plans to almost double their proportion by 2026. The previous target was set at 4.4% in 2003 and was only reached almost 20 years later, in 2022. The new annual targets will gradually increase:
- 6% in 2024
- 7% in 2025
- 8% in 2026
However, the Federation of Francophone and Acadian Communities (FCFA) estimates that we should welcome 12% of immigrants who speak French from 2024 to repair the decline in the demographic weight of Francophones outside Quebec.
Minister Miller acknowledged at a press conference that “the federal government has not always done its job in ensuring that the volume of Francophones who come to the country is such that it can meet our expectations.”
“Obviously, with the news Official Languages Actwe now have a legal duty to ensure recovery at the threshold of 1971. We are far from being there,” he added.
The restoration of the demographic weight of French-speaking minorities included in this legislation is set at 6.1%, i.e. that which they had during the 1971 census.
He announced several measures to increase the number of French-speaking immigrants in the country. A new support program will be used to finance the participation of minority French-speaking communities in promoting Canada internationally, recruiting and supporting candidates who wish to settle here.
Ten new communities will also be able to participate in the welcoming French-speaking communities initiative. There are currently 14 of them receiving sums to enable them to properly integrate the new arrivals.
The government also plans to “establish a new immigration corridor” to attract French-speaking primary and secondary teachers. “It is clear that there is a shortage of teachers,” admitted Minister Miller.
The Action Plan on Official Languages 2023-2028, announced last year, provided an additional 137 million to stimulate French-speaking immigration outside Quebec, for a total of 221.5 million over five years.