Francophone Immigration to Canada and Quebec

On Monday, January 31, 2022, the committee adopted the following motion:

That, pursuant to Standing Order 108(3)(f), the committee undertake a study on francophone immigration to Canada to ensure that the Government of Canada is upholding its duty to attract and facilitate francophone immigration within and outside of Quebec; that, as part of this study, the committee:

a. Examine why the target of 4.4% of total immigration set in 2003 in the Strategic Plan to Foster Immigration to Francophone Minority Communities was not met;

b. Invite the Commissioner of Official Languages to discuss his November 2021 report;

c. Invites the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada and his officials;

d. Explore how the government can work on maintaining or increasing the demographic weight of francophone minority communities, in particular by inviting representatives from francophone and Acadian communities to share their francophone immigration experiences in their communities and by looking at language transfers among francophone immigrants;

e. Review the applications from foreign francophone students that were rejected; and

f. Make recommendations to address the shortage of French-language teachers in Canada, in particular outside of Quebec, and make recommendations on how the government can increase opportunities for newcomers to learn French, while respecting other jurisdictions and existing agreements.

That the committee allocate at least six meetings to this study; that the committee report its findings and recommendations to the House; and that, pursuant to Standing Order 109, the government table a comprehensive response to the report.