LANG – Bill C-13 Modernizing The Official Languages Act – December 6, 2022

Key Messages

• Bill C-13 will introduce, for the first time, immigration into the Official Languages Act, recognizing its importance to the vitality of Francophone minority communities outside Quebec.
• The immigration-related measures associated with Bill C-13 include three legislative changes, notably the obligation for IRCC to adopt a Francophone immigration policy with objectives, targets and indicators, as well as a recognition of immigration as one of the factors that contributes to maintaining or increasing the demographic weight of Francophone minority communities.
• These measures reaffirm IRCC’s commitment to supporting Francophone minority communities and recognize the important role of immigration in countering the demographic decline of Francophone minority communities.

Supplementary Messages

What IRCC Is Doing To Tackle The Decline In Demographic Weight

• The Department has had a long-standing commitment to Francophone immigration outside Quebec, as well as to ensuring access to settlement services in French.
• In 2019, IRCC launched the Francophone Immigration Strategy to strengthen efforts across the immigration continuum, from promotion/attraction in our missions abroad, to selection and finally integration through our settlement and integration pathway here in Canada. We are on track to meet one of the main objectives of this Strategy, namely, reaching a target of 4.4% of French-speaking admissions to Canada outside Quebec by 2023—as we committed to doing.
• Our efforts will continue beyond 2023 and developing a Francophone immigration policy will be key. We are currently laying the groundwork for the development of the policy on Francophone immigration, including a new and more ambitious admissions target for French-speaking immigrants outside Quebec.

If pressed – On the Minister’s openness to modifying the legislative provisions on Francophone immigration to further strengthen them

• IRCC recognizes that Francophone minority communities are experiencing a decline in their demographic weight and that the most recent 2021 Census confirms this ongoing decline in the overall proportion of Francophones (outside Quebec) from 3.6% in 2016 to 3.3% in 2021.
• IRCC takes its commitments on Francophone immigration seriously: robust and ambitious legislative provisions on Francophone immigration in Bill C-13 will demonstrate the Department’s commitment to ensuring it fulfills its responsibility to Francophone minority communities by taking strong measures aimed at fostering the vitality and the demographic growth of these communities.

If pressed – On the absence of an obligation to achieve results for immigration-related provisions in Bill C-13

• IRCC recognizes that with the adoption of Bill C-13, there will be a legitimate expectation that the Department take strong action to reach the objectives and targets as set out in a new Francophone Immigration Policy, and ensure effective tracking and public reporting on its progress.
• As it fulfills its Francophone immigration commitments, the Department will also have to ensure the operational flexibility necessary to respond to rapidly shifting circumstances and priorities.
• Though immigration has a crucial role to play supporting the demographic growth of Francophone minority communities, it is not the only solution. Addressing the challenge of demographic weight requires the involvement of the federal family, provinces/territories, settlement stakeholders and the Francophone community.

Supporting Facts And Figures

Initiatives Under The Francophone Immigration Strategy

• Some recent key initiatives under the Strategy include:
  • In 2020, IRCC allocated additional points for French-speaking and bilingual candidates under the Express Entry system;
  • In 2021, we introduced temporary dedicated streams for French-speaking and bilingual candidates as part of the temporary residence to permanent residence pathway for essential workers and recent international graduates already in Canada. As of August 31, 2022, over 3,100 permanent residents were admitted under the Francophone streams of this pathway;
  • Since April 2020, the Department has gradually expanded funding and now has close to 80 Francophone service providers to deliver settlement services to the growing French-speaking newcomers population outside of Quebec, reaching an investment of approximately $61M in 2021-2022; and
  • In 2020, the Department also established 14 Welcoming Francophone Communities with an initial investment of $4.2M per year over three years. This initiative has been extended for an additional year.

Forthcoming Initiatives In Support Of Francophone Immigration

• As part of our reforms of Express Entry, new authorities for category-based selection would provide a way to target French-speakers. Since Express Entry is a key lever for Francophone immigration, this added flexibility could be critical to maximizing French-speaking immigrant admissions.
• Additionally, we have proposed a series of initiatives for the next Action Plan for Official Languages 2023-2028. These initiatives respond to stakeholder demands, including those raised during Action Plan for Official Languages consultations held in summer 2022, and support the legislative proposals in C-13 and the related administrative measures for the implementation of the modernized Official Languages Act.

Background

General

• The Official Languages Act is the key instrument ensuring that Canada’s two official languages, English and French, are promoted and protected. The last major reform of the Act dates back to 1988, and it is in need of modernization to better reflect language realities in Canada, advance substantive equality of French and English and support the development of official-language minority communities.
• In February 2021, the Government published a reform document outlining its vision for official languages and its commitment to the modernization of the Official Languages Act. This resulted in the tabling of the Act for the Substantive Equality of French and English and the Strengthening of the Official Languages Act (Bill C-32) in June 2021.
• Bill C-32 died on the Order Paper, and the Government then introduced Bill C-13, a revised version of Bill C-32, on March 1, 2022.

Immigration-Related Measures Associated With Bill C-13

• Bill C-13 recognizes that immigration contributes to the vitality of Francophone minority communities outside Quebec by including three legislative proposals and five related administrative measures for the implementation of the modernized Official Languages Act.
• These measures are:

  Legislative Proposals currently in Bill C-13

  Administrative Proposals for the modernized OLA’s implementation

  Recognition in the preamble of the important contribution of Francophone immigration to the vitality of Francophone minority communities, and of immigration as one of the factors that contributes to maintaining or increasing the demographic weight of these communities Obligation to adopt a policy on Francophone immigration, including objectives, targets and indicators and including a statement that the Government of Canada recognizes that immigration is one of the factors that contributes to maintaining or increasing the demographic weight of Francophone minority communities in Canada Support for sectors (including immigration) key to the vitality of official language minority communities to promote and protect the presence of strong institutions serving these communities, in collaboration with PTs

  Robust funding for a policy on Francophone immigration in the next Action Plan for Official Languages (APOL) Opportunities for newcomers to learn French, while respecting PT jurisdiction New Corridor to recruit Francophone and French-language teachers With PTs, development of a framework for the recognition of French teaching diplomas that can be applied across the country Recognition, in the next APOL, of the importance of supporting a training and recruitment strategy for Francophone and French-language teachers, including through immigration