OLLO – Summary Report - Standing Senate Committee on Official Languages – February 6, 2023

Date and time: April 4, 2022 / 5:00 to 7:00 p.m.
Videoconference (hybrid and in-person and zoom)

Report prepared by:
Mélodie Terracol, Cabinet and Parliamentary Affairs
Canadian Heritage
melodie.terracol@pch.gc.ca

Committee Members

René Cormier (ISG) (Chair)
Bernadette Clement (ISG)
Marie-Françoise Mégie (ISG)
Lucie Moncion (ISG)
Percy Mockler (C)
Rose-May Poirier (C)
Jean-Guy Dagenais (CSG)
Pierre J. Dalphond (PSG)
Raymonde Gagné (Non-affiliated)

Subject

Study matters relating to Francophone immigration to minority communities

Witnesses

Alliance des femmes de la francophonie canadienne

• Nour Enayeh, President 
• Soukaina Boutiyeb, Executive Director 

Fédération nationale des conseils scolaires francophones

• Valérie Morand, Executive Director 
• Denis M. Chartrand, President 

As an individual

• Guillaume Deschênes-Thériault, doctoral student in political science, University of Ottawa
• Mariève Forest, Visiting Professor, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ottawa 

Summary

Fédération nationale des conseils scolaires francophones

Denis M. Chartrand, President 

• Network serves 174,000 students at over 700 elementary and secondary schools from kindergarten to Grade 12 across Canada
• Increase in enrolment in French-language schools over the past 15 years due to Francophone immigration
• The network’s main immigration-related issues:
  • Raising awareness of the existence of French-language schools abroad and in Canada
  • Recruiting, admitting and retaining immigrant students and families
  • Facilitating the hiring of qualified Francophone teachers from abroad and among recent immigrants
• Solutions:
  • Promote French-language schools in Canada and internationally
  • Bill C-13: Obligation to develop a Francophone immigration policy
  • Define the term “Francophone” more broadly
  • Settlement workers (IRCC program based on the Anglophone model, so not suited to the situation of Francophone school boards)
  • Immigrant teachers and school staff
  • Restorative funding under the Official Languages in Education Program

Alliance des femmes de la francophonie canadienne

Nour Enayeh, President 

• Non-profit feminist organization dedicated to promoting the role and contributions of Francophone and Acadian women in their communities
• Study commissioned on the specific needs of Francophone immigrant women in Francophone minority communities in British Columbia, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, Ontario and Yukon. The main finding of the study concerns the impact of women’s family responsibilities on their own immigration pathway.
• Recommendations to IRCC:
  • Harmonize IRCC policies with the Government of Canada’s policy on gender equality by adopting a national policy on gender equality and diversity in immigration.
  • Work with other federal departments and agencies to produce more detailed information on the demographic profiles of Francophone immigrants in consultation with immigrant women and the organizations that represent them.
  • Include the issues of gender equality, diversity and inclusion in the activities of IRCC and other entities engaged in welcoming Francophone immigrants to Francophone minority communities (FMCs).
  • Support the development of gender-, diversity- and inclusion-sensitive policies, strategies and programs by the Réseaux en immigration francophone (RIFs).
  • Expand the capacity of the RIFs and their member organizations to develop, disseminate and use tools (policies, GBA+, etc.).
  • IRCC funding support – women’s organizations in the provinces and territories to implement services and programs responsive to women’s needs.
  • Make use of information from research to design policies, programs, etc.

Rose-May Poirier (C)

• What should be included in the new Francophone immigration policy promised by the federal government? What factors should be considered?
  • Change the way we look at immigrants, particularly women. And develop a gender-sensitive policy.

Clarify IRCC regulations.

• What is the current profile of the Francophone immigration school clientele? How should the six points be prioritized and in what order?
  • Communities and the school system must be given the resources to admit Francophone immigrants. We also submitted a project to IRCC called “RAM” (Recrutement, accueil et maintien des nouveaux enseignants) [recruiting, welcoming and retaining new teachers].
• Did you receive a positive response to the request for proposals?
  • It was turned down twice.

Marie-Françoise Mégie (ISG)

• Why has the definition of “Francophone” not be expanded in other provinces, rather than in a single province? What is the obstacle?
  • It is up to each province to adopt that definition.
• Do you think Bill C-13 can influence the other provinces?
  • I hope so.

Jean-Guy Dagenais (CSG)

• Can you tell us about recruiting Francophones for your schools from an immigrant pool that settles in a place where there are Francophone communities and French schools? Are you informed of their arrival and do you have time to court them so they can choose a French-language education for their children?
  • Immigration officers need to promote schools because we do not know who is arriving or where.
• What do you know about the intentions of the provinces, other than Quebec, that will receive federal money to establish these child care centres? Will there be funding for Francophone child care or will there be another struggle for that funding?
  • I have not heard about any such plan.
  • We need atypical child care models.
  • Language clauses need to be included in C-13 for funding to the provinces, particularly to specify funding for Francophone minority communities.

Lucie Moncion (ISG)

• Do people arrive in Canada and have to write English exams?
  • It was more about credentials, not just teachers.

Bernadette Clement (ISG)

• What communities are establishing a sense of belonging with newcomers? What are the best municipal policies?
  • Ottawa is a good example, but there are others.

Pierre J. Dalphond (PSG)

• Would it be possible for the Fédération nationale des conseils scolaires francophones to develop a national certification program that would be recognized by all provinces?
  • That is an excellent idea; it already exists within the Council of Ministers of Education.
  • In education, the ministries and the provinces are very territorial about their territory.

Percy Mockler (C)

• What factors explain the failure or poorer performance of the provincial and territorial governments to meet their own francophone immigration targets?
  • Failure: complicated answer because it depends on the various orders of government.

René Cormier (ISG)

• 2015 Supreme Court of Canada decision. What challenges do school boards face in terms of the admission of immigrant students who are non-rights holders? What should a federal Francophone immigration policy include to promote greater cultural harmonization? That is an issue.
  • The challenges obviously vary from province to province because education is a provincial jurisdiction.
• So there is absolutely no harmonization or uniform criteria across the country?
  • Exactly.
  • That is why the right to manage schools is important.
• What do you think about cultural issues?
  • The identity principle is not static, it evolves with the migration pathway. It is important to view immigrants as more than just landed immigrants and accepted refugees.

Jean-Guy Dagenais (CSG)

• Without federal funding, are the provinces other than Quebec prepared to provide French-language services to immigrants arriving in Canada?
  • Not an immigration expert, but yes, the provinces can provide services.
  • Matter of leadership has to be considered. Importance of language provisions in C‑13.

Lucie Moncion (ISG)

• What challenges are associated with the elements when newcomers arrive at schools? (elements: immigration, integration, francization of newcomers and retention)

As an individual

Mariève Forest, Visiting Professor, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ottawa 

• My comments are mainly based on the results of a study commissioned by the FCFA that Guillaume Deschênes-Thériault and I conducted. That study was released this morning.
• The purpose of the study is to take stock of the issues and possible actions to be taken in connection with the Francophone immigration target.
• Canada’s existing immigration system is contributing to the decline of the Francophone population.

As an individual

Guillaume Deschênes-Thériault, doctoral student in political science, University of Ottawa

• Conducted a statistical analysis study for the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages of Canada.

René Cormier (ISG)

• What about immigrants who do not speak English or French, and who could be sought after for our communities because they need to learn one of the official languages when they get to Canada?
  • In terms of economic immigration, a separate Francophone immigration program would be needed, in other words an independent administrative system for Francophone applicants, and the number of designated spots in the Francophone immigration program would reflect the new target.

Rose-May Poirier (C)

• In the study for OCOL, did you receive information on official minority language communities? Are they well equipped to retain newcomers, and is there a lot of migration within Canada once they arrive?
  • Issue of retention – Still the most important aspect of the Francophone integration process, essential to have the tools and resources to promote successful integration.
  • There is still work to do, particularly in rural areas.
  • Interprovincial immigration – I do not have any specific data to present.
• Post-2023 target – I would like to hear from you on the programs, policies and mechanisms that the government should adopt, amend or discontinue to expand the demographic pool for Francophone minority communities.
  • To increase that target, it is important to make changes to the various programs.
  • Our study examines each pathway to permanent residence and identifies the main problems with each of them by presenting options that would attract more immigrants through those pathways.
  • Implementation of an independent Francophone economic immigration program with an ambitious number of designated places + reform of other programs.

Marie-Françoise Mégie (ISG)

• In your study, do you have a demographic profile of the provenance of Francophone immigrants outside or within sub-Saharan Africa?
  • From 2016 to 2022, about 35% of admissions were nationals from sub-Saharan Africa; 32% to 33% were from Europe (France); 24% to 25% were from North Africa and the Middle East.
• Do you think the number of recruitment offices should be increased as part of the global recruitment program?
  • Yes, and there should be more offices in sub-Saharan Africa.

Jean-Guy Dagenais (CSG)

• Achieving the target of 4.4% by 2023: Do you think it is realistic?
• Do you have a regional breakdown of the Francophone immigrant shortage?
  • There are services in each province and territory, but they are often in the major cities.
  • Challenges in rural areas.

Lucie Moncion (ISG)

• Target of 4.4%. How many people does that represent?
  • In 2019, 8,470 permanent residents with a knowledge of French were accepted outside Quebec. So a shortfall of 5,000 people in relation to the target.
• When students get to Cité, they are mentored throughout their stay in Canada, but they then experience problems with the immigration process.
  • Exactly.

Pierre J. Dalphond (PSG)

• Is there enough capacity, with such high targets, to provide services in French, particularly in education, which is so important for maintaining the language?
  • Adopting a new Francophone immigration target based on reliable data is recommended. The study does not suggest a specific target.
• Establishing a new, possibly more Francophile structure within recruitment at IRCC. Is it because you feel there is a systemic problem, not just a lack of resources in the field, but also a lack of unawareness of the importance of recruiting Francophones?

Percy Mockler (C)

• Would it be a good idea to update the Canada–Québec Accord relating to Immigration and Temporary Admission of Aliens, which was signed in 1991, be updated to promote Francophone immigration in Canada? How does the accord affect the development and vitality of Francophone communities outside Quebec? And how can Quebec’s objectives with respect to maintaining its Francophone character be reconciled with Canada’s objectives with respect to maintaining the demographic weight of Francophones?
  • Those are complicated questions, and I do not have all the answers.

René Cormier (ISG)

• What concrete form should the federal government’s commitment to supporting immigration in the legislation take? In Part VII? Would it be better to specify the Francophone immigration objectives, targets and indicators to be met in the legislation?
  • It might be interesting to specify the objectives, targets and indicators, and to meet them, one must want to maintain them. More details could be provided about the desired objectives.