Thank you very much, Mr. Chair and members of the committee, for inviting me to speak to you on the critical issue of francophone immigration.
I say this issue is "critical" because the number of people who use a language in their everyday lives determines its vitality and survival. In the case of French, that number is declining, in both Quebec and the rest of Canada. Let's be clear. If the survival of French is not assured in Quebec, then its continued existence outside Quebec is an illusion.
What factors influence the adoption of French in the everyday lives of allophone immigrants?
A study commissioned by the Office québécois de la langue française and published in 2013 analyzed the entire linguistic pathway of an allophone immigrant, from birth and country of origin to sometime after arrival in Canada, and even into the second generation.
The findings were very clear. Among adult allophones, the use of French in the home is associated with much more frequent use of French in public than if it is not spoken at home. This process is called "language transfer".
The younger children are on arrival, the greater the language transfer. Furthermore, 62% of survey respondents had transferred to French before arriving in Canada, while 38% did so afterward.
Transfers that occur after arrival happen quickly, half of them in the first five years.
Country of origin is another important factor: 76% of allophones from cultures that have some affinity with French use that language in their everyday lives, whereas barely 25% of those from English-friendly cultures do so.
Lastly, attendance at French-language schools is associated with everyday use of that language. This observation applies to primary, secondary and post-secondary education.
However, as three quarters of permanent immigrants to Quebec and nearly all temporary immigrants are of adult age, the vast majority of immigrants have thus been educated in French before arrival.
These findings argue in favour of measures to take in, where possible, immigrants who have already chosen French before they arrive, including children and persons from cultures that have an affinity with French, who have completed their studies in French and who already speak French at home. For people who do not yet speak French at home, it is vital that those of school age study in French and that adults be immersed in the French language and culture as soon as possible. That's difficult enough in Quebec and virtually unimaginable outside it.
At least one third of permanent immigrants fall into the family and humanitarian classes. There is no language requirement in those classes. Consequently, we must rely on economic immigrants. However, the vast majority of those admitted in that class are granted a temporary stay of a few years in Canada to study or work. Required language knowledge is determined by the language of the program of study or by the employer.
The preferred pathway is to earn a diploma or degree in Canada and then to work for as long as it takes to become eligible for permanent residence. The Canadian government facilitates this pathway by providing open work permits for graduates and their spouses.
Canada seems to have understood that temporary immigration has become the gateway, and it has introduced a type of open work permit for employers outside Quebec who recruit francophones from outside Canada. Why are Quebec employers deprived of that same privilege?
Furthermore, last year, Canada granted permanent residence outside Quebec to at least 5,000 foreign francophone students under a public-interest policy that appears to be tailor-made to draw young immigrants who have graduated in Quebec away from that province.
The high rate of refusal of study permits for immigrants entering francophone educational institutions in and outside Quebec is entirely counterintuitive. We have demonstrated how important age and academic trajectory in French are for the survival of the language. This refusal rate is also particularly unacceptable in the Quebec context. The Canada-Quebec Accord provides that Quebec may grant its consent to admitted foreign students. Those students are then admitted to programs accredited and designated by Quebec's Ministère de l'Éducation. The federal government has no right then to deny them a study permit.
If the Canadian government is serious about protecting the French language across Canada, it is essential that it encourage and facilitate the entry, across the country, of foreign immigrants who already use French, particularly in a temporary migration context.
Thank you for your attention.
