The Hon. Sean Fraser, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), Marie-France Lalonde, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister, and Marc G. Serré, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Official Languages, made the announcement in Sturgeon Falls on January 23rd, stating that Canada had met the 4.4% target by 2022.
The number of francophone immigrants to Canada in 2022 was at its highest level since 2006. In 2006, there were slightly more than 2,800 Francophone residents living outside of Quebec, accounting for 1.38% of immigrants. More than 16,300 new immigrants arrived in Canada’s francophone minority communities in the last year, an increase of 3.02% from 2006. Since Canada started keeping track of immigration data, this represents the largest group of French-speaking immigrants outside of Quebec.
Over the past 5 years, the Francophone immigrant population has increased by 42,470 permanent residents, with immigration levels rising each year. Therefore, not only has Canada reached their target, but it has also welcomed more than three times the number of immigrants since 2018.
By achieving this goal, Canada demonstrates its support for building the power of francophone minorities outside of Quebec and its appreciation for the significance of newly arrived francophones in the nation. The promotion of the French language by the newcomers adds to the variety of Canada’s linguistic and cultural landscape, and their efforts to address the nation’s labour shortages help the economy grow.
Through its commitment to fostering population growth and economic success, the Canadian government will continue to place a high priority on Francophone immigration outside of Quebec in the future years. The Canadian government provided $40.7 million through the Action Plan for Official Languages 2018-2023 for activities promoting immigration of francophones.
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