The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Tourism, Official Languages and La Francophonie, announces that she has signed a $1-billion protocol for agreements to support education in official-language minority communities and second language learning.

“Education is a critical to the vitality of official-language minority communities and the promotion of bilingualism across the country. This protocol for agreements is the result of collaboration with provincial and territorial governments and the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada to strengthen minority-language education as well as second-language instruction in cooperation with the various sector stakeholders so that investments better reflect their priorities.”

—The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Tourism, Official Languages and La Francophonie

• According to the 2016 Statistics Canada Census, French-language communities make up 3.8 percent of the population outside Quebec, while English-language communities make up 13.7 percent of the population in Quebec. Outside Quebec, the rate of bilingualism among Anglophones is 6.8 per cent. Statistics Canada noted that the number of students enrolled in immersion programs increased by 47.8 percent from 2006–2007 to 2016–2017, while the number of students enrolled in French‑language schools in a minority setting increased by 14.3 percent.

• The Protocol for Agreements for Minority-Language Education and Second-Language Instruction is a policy framework established between the Government of Canada and the provincial and territorial governments. It sets the basis for bilateral agreements.

• Now that Minister Joly has signed the protocol, provinces and territories can now begin the process of approving and signing it.

• The 2018–2023 Action Plan for Official Languages provides an unprecedented $2.7 billion over five years, including $500 million in new funding, to support official-language minority communities and to promote bilingualism across the country. This plan includes a number of new initiatives to support the learning environment of youth living in linguistic minority situation or learning their second official language.

  Minority-language initiatives:

  • $95 million for community and educational infrastructure, including $67.25 million over 5 years and 28 million over 5 years (this funding comes from Budget 2017 $80 million investment over 10 years);
  • $31.3 million to support recruitment of teachers for minority-language schools;
  • $11.1 million over 5 years for the Community Cultural Action Fund, including up to $7.5 million to support cultural community initiatives in official-language minority schools.
  • $5.3 million for the Civic Community School Support Fund

  Initiatives to support youth bilingualism:

  • $31.3 million to recruit French-as-a-second-language and French immersion teachers;
  • $12.6 million to support English-speaking students enrolled in post-secondary programs in French;
  • $21 million for immersion bursaries to learn a second official language in spring or summer (Explore)
  • $17.5 million for youth language instructor program (Odyssée).

  And a new investment of more than $1 billion over four years to support education in official-language minority communities and second-language learning

• The plan provides a clear vision, new financial assistance and specific measures to support the vitality of official-language minority communities and promote English and French across the country.

Associated links

• Action Plan for Official Languages – 2018-2023: Investing in Our Future

For more information (media only), please contact:

Jérémy Ghio
Press Secretary
Cabinet of the Minister of Tourism, Official Languages and La Francophonie
jeremy.ghio@canada.ca

Media Relations
Canadian Heritage
819-994-9101
1-866-569-6155
pch.media-media.pch@canada.ca