OLLO – Minister’s Opening Statement – November 4, 2024
Speaking Notes
Hon. Marc Miller
Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship
Standing Committee on Official Languages (OLLO)
Francophone Immigration and International Students
November 4, 2024
Word count: 861 words
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Thank you, [Mr./Madam] Chair and members of the committee.
Good day.
I’d like to acknowledge that we are gathering on the traditional and unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabeg People.
Thank you very much for the invitation to speak before the committee today and to emphasize how important Francophone immigration is to Canada and to our bilingual identity.
I would like to recognize the work of the committee on official languages in Canada in general, and in particular in highlighting the importance of Francophone immigration.
I would also like to point to your report from last year in which you note that increasing the immigration of French speakers to Canada’s Francophone minority communities is necessary to halt the decline of the Canadian Francophonie.
We agree, immigrants help grow Canada’s future, and can help increase Francophone immigration outside Quebec. My Department has done much work since that report was tabled and we continue to make improvements.
Here are a few examples of the impact that Francophone immigrants have made. Raphaëlle Couratin immigrated from France to a small community in the mountains near Whitehorse, where she became a champion of the French language in her community.
Another example is Jacqueline Blay, who was born in Algeria, but moved to Manitoba and wrote a series of books on the history of French Manitoba.
Examples like these validate the importance that the Government of Canada has placed on boosting Francophone immigration outside of Quebec. It is a priority.
At Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), our Policy on Francophone Immigration supports the federal government’s modernized Official Languages Act that aims, among other things, to enhance the vitality of Francophone minority communities in Canada.
To be clear, IRCC’s policy aims to enhance the long-term vitality and prosperity of Francophone and Acadian minority communities, and pave a path toward restoring and increasing their demographic weight in an immigration system that is fair, equitable and non-discriminatory.
Last year, Canada exceeded the target of French-speaking permanent immigrant admissions outside Quebec with more than 19,600 admissions, or 4.7%. We are building on this momentum with an ambitious and realistic target of 6% in 2024—and we are on track to meet our 2024 objective.
Of the overall permanent resident admission targets, Francophone immigration will represent 8.5% in 2025, 9.5% in 2026 and 10% in 2027.
We will be aided by programs that will make it easier to support and recruit French-speaking candidates, such as the new Francophone Immigration Support Program managed by the Centre for Innovation in Francophone Immigration in Dieppe, New Brunswick.
Meanwhile, the 2024 Express Entry rounds are underway, and prospective candidates with category-specific work experience or a strong French language proficiency are being invited to apply for permanent residence.
Rural and Francophone minority communities are critical to Canada’s long-term growth, and regional immigration plays a key role in strengthening their economies. In particular, the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot (RNIP) has been successful in connecting businesses and employers in remote communities with the skilled newcomers they need to thrive. With this pilot program having expired on August 31, 2024, I announced on March 6, 2024, two new immigration pilots to support rural and Francophone communities that we will be launching in fall 2024.
These pilots aim to ensure that rural communities can access programs that address labour shortages and help local businesses find the workers they need. The Francophone Community Immigration Pilot will also focus on increasing the number of French-speaking newcomers settling in Francophone minority communities outside of Quebec, helping to restore and increase their demographic weight.
This spring, my Department launched the community application process for the two new pilots, which ran from May 21 to July 16, 2024. Economic development organizations across Canada were invited to apply for one or both of the pilots. These organizations were to submit applications on behalf of their communities to demonstrate eligibility and show how immigration would strengthen their local economies. I will announce the selected participants and the launch of the pilots in the coming months.
We will continue to promote growth and vitality in rural and Francophone minority communities, as it is crucial to our national identity.
We will also continue to work closely with provinces and territories, educational institutions, and other key partners to address the ongoing challenges facing French-speaking international students.
In recognition of these challenges, we launched the Francophone Minority Communities Student Pilot on August 26, 2024, to help welcome and retain French-speaking international students in Francophone minority communities outside of Quebec. Students and their families who come to Canada as part of the pilot will have access to settlement services and a pathway to permanent residence to help them successfully integrate into their new community.
We recognize the unique economic, linguistic and cultural contributions that newcomers bring to Canada, as students, or temporary or permanent residents, just like Raphaëlle and Jacqueline did in their communities.
To sum up, IRCC’s future actions to support Francophone communities outside Quebec will be guided by the new Policy on Francophone Immigration.
This includes promotion efforts, more robust selection mechanisms for skilled French-speaking or bilingual immigrants, and settlement and integration services.
As you can see, we are working hard to show how important immigration—and bilingualism—are to Canada.
Thank you very much for the opportunity to speak with you today.
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