Canada welcomes high number of Francophone newcomers, meeting its Francophone Immigration Target in 2022

A growing number of Canadians report that French is their first official language, but the proportion that French speaking Canadians represents dropped from 2016 (22.2%) to 2022 (21.4). In 2019, IRCC announced the goal of 4.4% of French-speaking immigrants outside Quebec by 2023 in the “Meeting our Objectives: Francophone Immigration Strategy” publication.

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On January 23rd, the Honorable Sean Fraser, the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) along with Marie-France Lalonde, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister, and Marc G. Serré, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Official Languages announced in Sturgeon Falls that Canada has achieved the 4.4% target in 2022.

In 2022, Canada welcomed the highest number of francophone newcomers since 2006. The number of Francophone residents outside Quebec was just over 2,800 in 2006, making up 1.38% of immigrants. Over the past year, more than 16,300 new immigrants settled in francophone minorities across Canada, representing a jump of 3.02% since 2006. This is the largest number of French speaking immigrants outside of Quebec since Canada began to record immigration data.

Over the past 5 years, the Francophone immigrant population has increased by 42,470 permanent residents, with immigration levels rising each year. Therefore, not only has Canada reached their target, but it has also welcomed more than three times the number of immigrants since 2018.

Through reaching this target, Canada shows its support for developing the strength of Francophone minorities outside of Quebec and understanding the importance of Francophone newcomers to the country. The newcomers contribute to the diversity of Canada’s cultural and linguistic landscape by promoting the French language and contribute to economic development by tackling labour shortages throughout the country.

The Canadian government is continuing to prioritize Francophone immigration outside Quebec in the upcoming years, by committing to promoting population growth and economic prosperity. Through the Action Plan for Official Languages 2018-2023, the Government of Canada allocated $40.7 million for Francophone immigration initiatives.

During the announcement, The Honorable Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Minister of Official languages, discussed how they hope to adopt a new Francophone immigration policy, presented in Bill C-13, that will have objectives and targets to ensure the perpetuation of the French language in the country.

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