Strategic Plan to Foster Immigration to Francophone Minority Communities Presentation by: Erika Gates-Gasse, OCASI

Orgwise Organizational Standards Funded by: Context March 2002: creation of the Citizenship and Immigration Canada Francophone Minority Communities Steering Committee; November 2003: the Steering Committee releases the Strategic Framework to Foster Immigration to Francophone Minority Communities, which outlined 5 objectives; March 2005: the Steering Committee publishes Towards Building a Canadian Francophonie of Tomorrow: Summary of Initiatives to Foster Immigration to Francophone Minority Communities; September 2006: the Steering Committee releases the Strategic Plan to Foster Immigration to Francophone Minority Communities, which is a five year plan to better coordinate the efforts to achieve the five objectives set out in the Framework. Target: By 2008, 4.4% of newcomers outside of Quebec should be French-speaking. The Steering Committee estimated it would take 15 years to reach the annual target of 8,000 to 10,000 French speaking immigrants to Francophone Minority Communities (FMCs).

Between 2003 and 2011, approximately 40% of French-speaking newcomers came from the sub-Saharan African region. Outside of Quebec, Ontario has the greatest number of French-speaking people. New Brunswick has some 236,100 Francophones (33% of the its population). Ontario has 2x this number, with a population of 578,045 Francophones (~4.8% of total population). According to the 2006 Census, immigrants represent approximately 20% of the total population of Canada and 28% of the population of Ontario; 2.8% of immigrants in Ontario are French-speaking. Francophone immigration is largely an urban phenomenon in Ontario. In 2006, 92% of Francophone immigrants lived in Toronto (33.1%), in Ottawa (24.3%) or in southern Ontario. Approximately 20% live in Peel and York. Hamilton, Halton, Essex, Waterloo, Middlesex, Durham, and Niagara account for approximately 15% of Francophone immigrants. Refugees an important source of French-speaking newcomers (22% vs 11%).

Challenges 1.The number and make-up of French-speaking immigrants to FMCs; “French-speaking immigrant” definition changed to specify those whose first official language is French. 2. Immigrant mobility; No data available on the mobility rate of French-speaking immigrants within Canada. 3. Integration difficulties for immigrants; 4. FMCs’ lack of capacity to recruit, receive and integrate French-speaking immigrants.

Strategic Focus 1.Better integration of immigrants & refugees already settled in FMCs; French-speaking immigrants and refugees from Africa and Haiti 2.Recruitment of new immigrants; Economic class immigrants and international students, refugees 3.Integration, retention and settlement of new French- speaking immigrants in FMCs. Focused approach (targeted funding to specific FMCs with demonstrated capacity); Fostering the employability of workers trained abroad (focus on health & education); Ensuring a functional methodology for teaching both official languages and an effective method for delivery (67% don’t use French at work).

Implementation Coordination Mechanisms Local & provincial: Réseaux en immigration francophone (Ottawa, Hamilton and Sudbury) National: Francophone Minority Communities Steering Committee, Implementation Committee Priorities for Implementing and supporting local networks; Increasing awareness of the local community; Implementing language training in English and/or French; Providing training to upgrade professional and employability skills; Implement 3 major pilot projects over 5 years in at least 2 fields (education and health) Research; Supporting the creation of micro-businesses; Supporting French-language post-secondary institutions in the recruitment and integration of international students; Proposal to support the initiatives of 10 post-secondary institutions. Promoting immigration and selecting potential immigrants; Supporting refugees.

Ontario Immigration Strategy August 2011: Final Report: Research on Settlement Services Available in French for Francophone Newcomers to Ontario Francophone immigration to Ontario is increasing. They represent 2.8% of Ontario's total immigrant population. New Francophone immigrants who arrived between 2001 and 2006 represent 3.8% of Ontario's recent immigrants ( ). Since 2000, 3,500 to 4,000 Francophones have immigrated to Ontario each year. Labour-market integration and language classes identified by participants as major barriers. November 2012: Launch of Ontario’s Immigration Strategy Target: achieve 5% Francophone immigration Expert Roundtable recommends using the Provincial Nominee Program to achieve this target

CIC Evaluation of the Strategy July 2012: Evaluation of the Recruitment and Integration of French Speaking Immigrants to Francophone Minority Communities Initiative, % objective: CIC set a short and long term objective: 1.8% by 2013, 4.4% by According to their numbers, 1.8% achieved in Networks: stability of funding, national vs regional vision. Services: increase in number of services provided in French (but stats are for agencies that have served at least one French-speaking newcomer). Research: significant new research created, but still an under-researched area. Recruitment barriers: immigrant selection process can be a significant barrier. Destination Canada