Ottawa taps London to attract new French-speaking immigrants

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London is one of 10 new communities across the country selected for a federal program designed to attract more French-speaking immigrants to settle in Canada outside the province of Quebec.

Only a small minority of Londoners are French speakers – around 2 per cent of the population at the last census – but the Welcoming Francophone Community initiative aims to improve the quality of French speakers by making it easier for new French-speaking people to integrate, including through improved programmes and settlement services.

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“Promoting the French language is of vital importance to us,” Immigration Minister Marc Miller said in a statement. “By welcoming French-speaking immigrants and supporting their integration process, we contribute to the revitalization of these communities while meeting their need for a skilled workforce.”

Cornwall in eastern Ontario and the District of Cochrane in northern Ontario are two more communities in the province to join the program, which now includes 24 communities across Canada.

Last year alone, 19,600 francophone immigrants settled in francophone communities outside Quebec. The government’s goal is for francophone immigrants to make up 6 per cent of all new permanent residents admitted to Canada this year.

Nabila Sisawi of the French Immigration Network of Central and Southwestern Ontario (RIFSCO) said London was an easy choice for Ottawa when it sought to expand the program, given its two French-language school boards and two French-language settlement agencies.

“I’m delighted that London was chosen,” she said. “I think London has great potential to be a model for other communities.”

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Sissavy said that although London’s French-speaking community is small (around 8,500 people in 2021), it has been growing rapidly, especially in the past two years.

Most of the new French-speaking immigrants come from countries such as Cameroon, Nigeria, Belgium and Morocco.

The federal government is spending a total of $11 million to expand the Welcoming Communities program. Part of the funding will go toward projects and programs designed by participating communities.

“The first step is to form an advisory committee to run and oversee this program and analyze what are the needs of the community and new immigrants? Can we do better?” said Sisawi.

“Ultimately, we want newcomers to feel welcomed, respected … and part of our community when they come to our community.”

jjuha@postmedia.com

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