Labrador City-Wabush selected as a Welcoming Francophone Community

From: Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada

News release

May 31, 2019 — Labrador City-Wabush, NL — Labrador City-Wabush has been selected as a Welcoming Francophone Community as part of the Government of Canada’s Action Plan for Official Languages.

Under the Welcoming Francophone Communities initiative, a total of 14 communities across Canada will receive funding so they can create programs and activities to help French-speaking newcomers feel welcomed and integrated into Francophone minority communities. This initiative of $12.6 million over 3 years was announced in Budget 2018 to support the integration and retention of French-speaking newcomers in Canada.

The new Meeting Our Objectives: Francophone Immigration Strategy, announced on March 13, 2019, is a collaborative approach with federal, provincial, territorial and community partners, an approach described as “by and for Francophones”. It seeks to enhance the vitality of official-language minority communities through immigration specifically, by increasing the proportion of French-speaking permanent residents outside of Quebec, supporting the integration and retention of French-speaking newcomers, and building the capacity of Francophone communities.

Quotes

“Francophone communities open up their hearts to welcome French-speaking newcomers to Canada. Labrador City-Wabush will be able to be even more inviting to Francophone immigrants so they can feel welcome and where they will have more opportunities to make Canada their home. Through the launch of the Francophone Immigration Strategy, we are committed to increasing the proportion of French-speaking immigrants in Francophone minority communities.”

– The Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

“The selection of the Labrador City-Wabush will make for a more diverse, stronger Francophone community supporting our workforce and community needs. This funding of more than $645,000 will help welcome more Francophones to make Labrador City-Wabush their forever home.”

– Yvonne Jones, MP, Labrador

“We are delighted that this project will help support the integration and retention of Francophone newcomers. Labrador City has been a land of immigration for a long time, but this project will make a difference locally to improve reception, integration and retention, to the great benefit of the development of our local Francophone community.”

– Sophie Thibodeau, President of the Fédération des francophones de Terre-Neuve et du Labrador

Quick facts

  • Francophone Welcoming Communities initiative

    • The initiative is a pilot project co-led by IRCC and Francophone communities, which include the 13 Réseaux en immigration francophone, the Fédération des communautés francophones et acadiennes du Canada (FCFA) and the Comité atlantique sur l’immigration francophone (CAIF).

  • Meeting Our Objectives: Francophone Immigration Strategy

    • A number of initiatives under the new strategy are already under way, including those announced by the Minister in November 2018 as part of National Francophone Immigration Week.
    • As of December 2018, 4.5% of Express Entry invitations to apply were issued to French-speaking candidates, compared to 2.9% in 2017.

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Contacts

Mathieu Genest
Minister’s Office
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada
613-954-1064

Media Relations
Communications Branch
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada
613-952-1650
IRCC.COMMMediaRelations-RelationsmediasCOMM.IRCC@cic.gc.ca

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