The Canadian Liberal government has unveiled a five-year action plan to increase the number of French-speaking immigrants in Canada, with the aim of boosting the country’s cultural identity and growing the French language.
The government wants to recruit French-speaking people from Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and the Americas and settle them in francophone minority communities across the country, except for Quebec, which has its own immigration program.
The government also aims to attract francophone teachers to improve French-language education, including French immersion programs and post-secondary learning.
The plan also includes initiatives such as expanding internships for youth in language minority communities and providing access to justice in both languages.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the plan “ambitious” but emphasized its importance in recognizing the economic, social, and cultural value of official languages in Canada.
The proportion of francophones in the population outside Quebec has decreased from 6.1% in 1971 to 3.5% in 2021, according to Statistics Canada data from the 2021 census.
