Quebec to invest $603 million to protect the French language
Quebec is "going on the offensive" to protect and promote French, Minister Jean-François Roberge said Sunday as he presented a $603-million plan to counter what he described as the language's decline.
Roberge, the Quebec cabinet minister responsible for the French language, said the government's nine priorities include better monitoring of language trends, boosting the French cultural offering and improving students' mastery of French.
Several of the measures are linked to immigration, including increasing the percentage of economic immigrants who speak French and speeding up permanent residency for international students who graduate from francophone programs.
"It's important to mention that we are no longer defending the French language," Roberge told a news conference in Montreal. "We're going on the offensive, no, not against anyone, but to regain lost ground and reverse the decline of French."
The strategy unveiled Sunday includes 21 measures, some of which are already in place or have already been announced.
Those include previously-announced commitments to raise tuition by 30 per cent for out-of-province Canadians and force universities to ensure most of those students are proficient in French when they graduate. The government has also said it will impose stronger French-language requirements for temporary workers and permanent immigrants from the economic stream.
Roberge said the vitality of French in Quebec is being challenged by a number of factors including the growing numbers of non-French-speaking immigrants, the domination of mainly-English digital platforms and the number of students attending English universities.
Roberge spoke at the news conference alongside the provincial ministers from the immigration, culture, education, higher education, and international relations departments. They, and others, are part of a working group focusing on the future of French in Quebec.
He said the $603-million, five-year plan, unveiled during a "difficult budgetary context," shows the government's commitment to the French language. The plan specified that the funding had already been provided for in the province's financial framework.
Roberge cited data from the 2021 census that showed the percentage of Quebec residents who predominantly speak French at home declined slightly between 2016 and 2021. At the same time, the percentage of Quebec residents whose first official language was English rose to 13 per cent from 12 per cent in the same period, Statistics Canada found.
However, Quebec's language watchdog published a study in April that found the use of French in public spaces, such as stores and restaurants, had remained stable since 2007.
Roberge said $18 million of the funding would be spent on a project with Quebec's statistics agency to publish regular data on language indicators in the province.
More than half the funding -- $320 million -- will be spent on programs to ensure temporary international workers speak and learn French.
Another $64.9 million will be dedicated to improving students' mastery of French through programs including those that promote reading, Education Minister Bernard Drainville said.
"We have to give our children a desire to speak French," he said, adding that teachers and school staff have a responsibility to encourage students to speak French in the classes, hallways and during extracurricular activities.
An amount of $187.3 million will be dedicated to increasing the "Francophone cultural offering" and making it more accessible. That will include funding for Quebec cultural productions, said the province's culture minister.
Mathieu Lacombe added he planned to table a bill that aims to "guarantee our fundamental rights to the access and discoverability of French-language cultural content in the digital environment."
Finally, the government will spend $12.8 million to strengthen Quebecers' attachment to the French language through initiatives such as French-language scientific publications and communications campaigns.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 28, 2024.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING 3 injured after man with knife enters Montreal-area Islamic cultural centre
Three men were injured after a man armed with a knife entered a Montreal-area Islamic cultural centre Friday afternoon.
Teen arrested in New Brunswick after emergency alert; 5 people in custody
A 15-year-old boy who was the subject of an emergency alert in New Brunswick has been arrested.
Suspect arrested in theft of Porsche that was captured on video
Police have arrested an 18-year-old woman who allegedly stole a Porche and then ran over its owner in an incident that was captured on video.
Woman nearly shut out of mother's estate sues brother in B.C. Supreme Court – and wins
Since she was a young girl growing up in Vancouver, Ginny Lam says her mom Yat Hei Law made it very clear she favoured her son William, because he was her male heir.
Parents of Ontario teen sue alleged poison salesman Kenneth Law
The parents of a teenager who died after allegedly consuming the poisonous products of a Mississauga man are now suing him, as well as several doctors involved in her care.
11-year-old boy dies after subway surfing in NYC
An 11-year-old boy died Monday after subway surfing in New York City. He's the fourth person to die from subway surfing in the city this year.
'We're still pushing hard': Search for missing Manitoba boy continues, RCMP find tracks
The search for a missing six-year-old boy in Shamattawa is continuing Friday as RCMP hope recent tips can help lead to a happy conclusion.
Recall issued for 38,000 GM vehicles in Canada over software safety glitch
Transport Canada has issued a recall for 38,000 General Motors (GM) vehicles for safety risks related to a software glitch, the agency reported in a notice on Wednesday.
Top Hezbollah commander among 12 killed in Israeli strike on Beirut
Israel killed a top Hezbollah commander and other senior figures in the Lebanese movement in an airstrike on Beirut on Friday, vowing to press on with a new military campaign until it is able to secure the area around the Lebanese border.