Executive Summary
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At the beginning of the 21st century, immigration is the single most important factor contributing to the real growth of Canada’s population. It is a major issue for demographic balance and the future of linguistic duality throughout the country. For instance, over the past 15 years, it has accounted for approximately 50% of Canada’s population growth.
Historically, immigrants helped strengthen the position of the English-speaking population while the Francophone population relied primarily on natural increase for population growth. However, when the Francophone birth rate declined around the 1960s, immigration became important to Francophone population growth as well. Subsequent Quebec government initiatives are an example of the way immigration policy can support the demographic vitality of linguistic communities: between 1968 and 1999, some 310,000 French-speaking immigrants have entered the province.
In the Speech from the Throne in January 2001, the government stated that “Canada’s linguistic duality is fundamental to our Canadian identity and is a key element of our vibrant society.” In fulfillment of its commitment to promoting linguistic duality, the government needs to consider ways to enable English-speaking and French-speaking communities, and especially the French-speaking communities outside Quebec, to share equitably in the social and demographic benefits of immigration.
There are demographic data which point to a significant disparity between the number of English-speaking and French-speaking immigrants who come to Canada: 3.6% French-only speakers compared with 78.8% of speakers of English only. Recent increases in the proportion of Francophone immigrants are due to Quebec’s recruitment efforts. Unlike Quebec, the federal government has not been making any direct effort to recruit French-speaking immigrants overseas. Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) can do much more in this area: the department should develop benchmarks to increase the number of Francophone immigrants who will settle in regions outside Quebec, and these benchmarks should be reviewed annually to measure progress in this area. Government regulations and policies must support these goals.
The situation with respect to Quebec’s Anglophone communities is somewhat different. While immigration has contributed to their growth, the very unfavourable rates of interprovincial migration culminated in significant population losses from 1971 to 1986. Most English-speaking immigrants settle in Montreal where the Anglophone community is very diverse in its ethnic composition. The principal challenge for the Anglophone communities is the retention of new arrivals; Anglophone institutions must be provided with the ability to counteract this phenomenon by instilling in immigrants a sense of community.
There are problems for minority official language communities with respect to settlement and integration issues as well. These communities, with the exception of English Montrealers, frequently lack the resources to create the institutions and structures needed to help immigrants adapt to their new environment.
There is definitely a need to reach out to Francophone immigrants outside Quebec who may not always be aware of Francophone institutions and the availability of services in French. Integration is a two-way process that ultimately implies a change in the identity of the host community as well as of the new arrivals.
This study proposes a series of recommendations which address three key areas: Policies and Principles; Recruitment and Promotion; and Settlement and Integration. Among the most important are the following:
- An integrated approach must be enunciated by the federal government and objectives, regulations and policies with respect to demographic renewal of official language communities put in place and acted upon, in close collaboration with the affected communities.
- A strategy with regard to Francophone recruitment should be developed; benchmarks should be established to increase Francophone immigration to minority language communities and reviewed annually to ensure progress in this area.
- In order for minority official language communities to play their role in encouraging immigrants to come to their areas, welcoming them and helping them integrate into Canadian society, they must be supported by the federal government at all levels of the process, from planning to settlement and integration activities.
