Quebec has launched a new portal for anyone who wants to learn French
As of June 1, anyone wishing to learn or improve their command of the French language will have to register via the Francization Québec portal, the government's new single point of service for coordinating all French language learning services.
Christine Fréchette, Minister of Immigration, Francization and Integration, and Jean-François Roberge, her colleague responsible for the French language, launched the platform on Monday morning.
The new service, which was developed over the past year in response to the new right created by Bill 96 to free access to francization services, will manage all French-language learning services for new arrivals, future immigrants wishing to learn French ahead of their arrival, workers and Quebec residents who do not speak French.
The whole process will be rolled out in different phases, Minister Fréchette emphasized, in order to simplify the process, harmonize the services offered and improve customer service.
Financial support will also be offered to clients who need it. The Francisation Québec programs will replace the current programs, the Programme d'intégration linguistique des immigrants and the Programme d'aide financière pour l'intégration linguistique des immigrants.
UNKNOWN DEMAND
Although they speak of an unprecedented "craze" for francization, to the point where they expect more people to sign up for the various services over the coming months, the ministers have no targets or projections for the number of francization candidates in the province.
"The government will adapt" to demand, and Francisation Québec is "continuously recruiting" teachers to meet it, Fréchette said. Her department currently employs 550 teachers.
"As current francization services were fragmented due to the large number of partners, it was more difficult to obtain data on the number of people in francization," she explained. With Francisation Québec, we're going to consolidate, monitor and centralize this data, which will give us a more accurate picture of the situation."
In 2021-2022, more than 37,000 people took part in a francization process, an increase of 16 per cent over the previous year. For 2022-2023, the increase was even more pronounced, at 25 per cent, with a peak of nearly 46,000 registrants.
Fréchette attributes this growth to her government's investment in francization, which doubled between 2018 and 2022.
"In 2017, the Auditor General had said that the organization of francization services was a real fiasco," the minister recalled.
"The Premier reiterated: we are the government that will have recognized the reality, named the decline of French and taken concrete action to remedy it," added Roberge.
Francization services will continue to be offered online or face-to-face, in the workplace or even in certain early childhood settings, on a full-time or part-time basis, all to meet the needs of as many people as possible.
This report was written with the financial assistance of the Meta Bourse and The Canadian Press for news and was first published in French by The Canadian Press on May 29, 2023.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Spectacular aurora light show to be seen across Canada Friday night
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Town of Fort Nelson, B.C., ordered to evacuate due to wildfire
The entire town of Fort Nelson, B.C., as well as the nearby Fort Nelson First Nation, has been ordered to evacuate due to an out-of-control wildfire.
Bouchard lifts Edmonton Oilers to 4-3 overtime win over Canucks in Game 2
Evan Bouchard scored 5:38 into overtime and the Edmonton Oilers bounced back for a 4-3 win over the Vancouver Canucks in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs on Friday.
McGill University seeks emergency injunction to dismantle pro-Palestinian encampment
McGill University has filed a request for an injunction to have the pro-Palestinian encampment removed from its campus.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
Video shows naked raccoon catching B.C. family by surprise
When Marvin Henschel spotted a strange and hairless creature wandering through a front lawn in B.C.'s Lower Mainland, he could barely believe his eyes.
Barron Trump declines to serve as an RNC delegate
Former U.S. President Donald Trump's youngest son, Barron Trump, has declined to serve as a delegate at this summer’s Republican National Convention, according to a senior Trump campaign adviser and a statement from Melania Trump's office.
Out-of-control wildfire prompts evacuation alert for Fort McMurray, Saprae Creek Estates Friday night
An evacuation alert was issued for two Wood Buffalo communities Friday night, as crews battled an out-of-control wildfire near Fort McMurray.