Small businesses want support from Quebec for francization in the workplace

The vast majority of small and medium-sized busisiness (SME) owners are enthusiastic about the idea of offering francization in the workplace, but they will need help to cover the costs, argues the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB).

The support of Quebec entrepreneurs for francization is strong, insists CFIB's Quebec vice-president François Vincent, presenting the data from a survey of 485 members conducted by his association.

"SMEs see francization as being really important for the economy and society," he said.

In fact, 80 per cent of respondents believe that francization of employees in small businesses contributes to the economy. Seventy-nine per cent believe that strengthening francization measures would promote integration into the workplace.

Francization is also seen as favourable in the context of labour scarcity. Free access to francization measures would encourage the hiring of new employees, 73 per cent of SMEs believe.

Vincent also welcomes the Legault government's recent creation of the Francisation Québec one-stop shop.

The CFIB surveyed its members as the Legault government begins consultations on Tuesday to update immigration targets for the 2024-2027 period. Quebec plans to gradually increase the thresholds from 50,000 to 60,000 over this period.

The consultation is also an opportunity to reflect on the francization of immigrants. Vincent feels The workplace is a good place to do this, but SMEs will need financial support to pay for this training.

Sixty-eight percent of SME managers say that the costs associated with francization courses are difficult to bear.

Larger SMEs sometimes manage to adjust their prices in line with their costs, but for smaller businesses, the cost increases tend to eat into margins or increase debt, said Vincent.

"What happens for small businesses is that cost increases hurt them," he said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Sept. 9, 2023.