Evidence of meeting #31 for Official Languages in the 41st Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was acoa.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Liberal
Director, Information, Language and Community Program Policy, Department of Citizenship and Immigration Canada
Yes, work was being done on a reply.
Associate Deputy Minister, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
If I may, Mr. Chair, I would like to point out that replies to things like this are tabled by the government.
Liberal
Associate Deputy Minister, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
These are draft replies that would be covered by cabinet confidences. So I hesitate to say anything about that.
Liberal
Mauril Bélanger Liberal Ottawa—Vanier, ON
I understand all that, sir.
I would like to point something out to you. You talk about statistics. You say that it was at 1.5% and it is now 1.7%, or 1,545 immigrants. What proportion of the population of Canada is francophone at present?
Director, Information, Language and Community Program Policy, Department of Citizenship and Immigration Canada
It is 4.1%.
Liberal
Mauril Bélanger Liberal Ottawa—Vanier, ON
No, I want to know the proportion for the entire country. Quebec is still part of the country, as far as I know. Is the curve increasing or decreasing?
Director, Information, Language and Community Program Policy, Department of Citizenship and Immigration Canada
It is a decreasing curve.
Liberal
Mauril Bélanger Liberal Ottawa—Vanier, ON
I would like to help you with your figures, because I understand what you were alluding to. What proportion of the population outside Quebec is francophone?
Director, Information, Language and Community Program Policy, Department of Citizenship and Immigration Canada
As a percentage, it is 4.1%, according to the last census.
Liberal
Mauril Bélanger Liberal Ottawa—Vanier, ON
Within the department, what is the justification for the 1.8% objective not being achieved before 2013 and the 4.4% objective not being achieved before 2023?
Associate Deputy Minister, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
Under the Strategic Plan to Foster Immigration to Francophone Minority Communities that was adopted in 2006, it was decided that it would take 15 years to achieve the 4.4% target. That is why CIC adopted the target of 2023.
In the meantime, under the roadmap, there was a request for an interim target to be adopted. That is why we have the target of 4.4% in 2023, and 1.8% in 2013.
Liberal
Mauril Bélanger Liberal Ottawa—Vanier, ON
Would you be prepared to say that if there is a lower percentage of francophone immigrants, as a proportion of the francophone population outside Quebec, by 2023, that would create greater linguistic polarization in Canada?
Associate Deputy Minister, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
I am not certain that polarization results from those figures, no.
Liberal
Mauril Bélanger Liberal Ottawa—Vanier, ON
No? How would it be explained, then? Since anglophones now account for 90% and more, in my opinion there will be a gradual decline in the number of francophone immigrants, as we have seen.
In that case, how do you explain that there would not be growing polarization?
Associate Deputy Minister, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
It may be the premise of the question that I do not accept. I do not know whether polarization necessarily results from the figures in that way.
Liberal
Mauril Bélanger Liberal Ottawa—Vanier, ON
I hope you are right, because I would not want to see that kind of thing happen; it could be very dangerous for the country later on.
Are you aware that one of the recommendations was to set the target at 7% or, at least, to consider the possibility of achieving that?
Associate Deputy Minister, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
Yes, I saw that recommendation in the report.
Liberal
Mauril Bélanger Liberal Ottawa—Vanier, ON
Do you think it would be achievable if the necessary resources were allocated?
Director, Information, Language and Community Program Policy, Department of Citizenship and Immigration Canada
Since I arrived, I have focused on the target that was already set. As to whether it is achievable, I do not know.
Associate Deputy Minister, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
I would perhaps like to add...
Liberal
Mauril Bélanger Liberal Ottawa—Vanier, ON
No.
Do you know what percentage has been achieved in Manitoba?
Director, Information, Language and Community Program Policy, Department of Citizenship and Immigration Canada
No, I do not have the exact figure, but the target is in fact 7% for that province.