A New Centre for Innovation in Francophone Immigration in Dieppe

From: Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada

News release

November 10, 2022—Dieppe, New Brunswick—Today, the Honourable Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Minister of Official Languages and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities and Marie-France Lalonde, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, on behalf of the Honourable Sean Fraser, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, inaugurated the new Centre for Innovation in Francophone Immigration. The inauguration of the centre is one of many events taking place as part of National Francophone Immigration Week.

The opening of the new centre comes in addition to the measures already adopted to increase the number of Francophone immigrants who come to settle in Canada, particularly in Francophone minority communities. The centre will be national in scope and will help to

  • make immigration programs more accessible in order to increase the number of French-speaking candidates selected
  • conduct case studies to better meet the bilingual workforce needs of Francophone employers and communities
  • support international promotion efforts to attract and recruit French-speaking candidates in our labour market

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada will work closely with Francophone communities and with organizations that are responsible for selecting immigration candidates. We plan to partner with regional economic development agencies to ensure to a good match between labour needs and immigration.

The new Centre for Innovation in Francophone Immigration meets the objectives of the Federal/Provincial/Territorial Action Plan 2020–2023, which aims to increase Francophone immigration to Francophone minority communities.

Quotes

“Today, I am happy to announce that Dieppe will be the actual site of this impressive Centre for Innovation in Francophone Immigration. This initiative will support the efforts needed to ensure the stability and demographic growth of Francophone communities in Atlantic Canada and across the country. The modernization of the Official Languages Act, introduced by our government last March, proposes to adopt a Francophone immigration policy with specific goals, targets and indicators that will ensure the sustainability of our beautiful French language. The new centre will help turn that vision into action.”

– The Honourable Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Minister of Official Languages and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency

“In recent years, southeastern New Brunswick has become greatly diversified and demonstrates to what extent immigration is a key component of a region's economic success. Dieppe is therefore the perfect place to host this new center of national scope, which will be equipped with new tools to reach our targets in terms of Francophone immigration. We will continue to listen to Francophone communities across the country regarding their needs for a bilingual and qualified workforce.”

– The Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities 

“As this year marks the 10th edition of National Francophone Immigration Week, the Honourable Sean Fraser, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, and I are proud to participate in the celebrations that highlight the contributions of French-speaking newcomers to communities across Canada. The opening of the new Centre for Innovation in Francophone Immigration in Dieppe is an opportunity for us to demonstrate Canada's efforts to attract and retain French-speaking newcomers in welcoming and inclusive communities.”

– Marie-France Lalonde, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

Quick facts

  • Francophone immigration is a priority for Canada. It supports the vitality of Francophone minority communities and helps enrich them economically, socially and culturally. The goal is to reach a target of 4.4% French-speaking immigrants outside Quebec by 2023.

  • Canada aims to invest $12.9 million over 4 years to establish the Dieppe centre, then $5.6 million each year beyond that to ensure the implementation of the programming. Note that the investment could be higher depending on the scope of the programming.

  • The centre is the first Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada office in southeastern New Brunswick, a regional economic hub in a bilingual province that has set ambitious goals for Francophone immigration.

  • Since 2018, New Brunswick has become the second most popular destination chosen by French-speaking immigrants outside Quebec, with more than 4,000 newcomers (from January 2018 to August 2022).

Associated links

Contacts

Contacts for media only:

Bahoz Dara Aziz
Press Secretary
Minister’s Office
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada
bahoz.daraaziz@cic.gc.ca

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

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