A high number of Francophones immigrate to Canada in 2022, meeting the country’s Francophone immigration target. The proportion of Canadians who report that French is their first official language has dropped from 22.2% in 2016 to 21.4% in 2023. A new report published by the IRCC in 2019 outlined the goal of 4.4% of French speakers outside Quebec by 2023.
It was announced by Canada’s immigration minister Sean Fraser, Parliamentary Secretary Marie-France Lalonde, and Canada’s official language minister Marc G. Serré that Canada has achieved its 4.4% francophone immigration target in 2022.
It was the highest level of francophone immigration to Canada since 2006. 1.38% of immigrants were Francophones living outside of Quebec in 2006. The number of immigrants arriving in Quebec’s francophone minority communities increased by 3.02% from 2006 to 2016, more than 16,300. Among French-speaking immigrants outside of Quebec, this group represents the largest group since Canada started keeping immigration data.
Increasing Francophone immigration to Canada
The number of permanent residents who identify as Francophone has grown by 42,470 over the past five years, with annual immigration rates growing. As a result, Canada has not only met its goal but also admitted more immigrants than it did in 2018—more than three times as many.
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 labor shortages help the economy grow.
Furthermore, the Canadian government will continue to prioritize Francophone immigration outside of Quebec as part of its efforts to foster population growth and economic success. Under the Action Plan for Official Languages 2018-2023, $40.7 million was provided by the Canadian government for activities promoting the immigration of francophones.
Canada’s official languages minister Ginette Petitpas Taylor will introduce a new immigration policy for Francophones. Also, French as a second language in Canada will have objectives and targets outlined in Bill C-13 to ensure its survival.
