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Despite a large number of Canadians reporting their first language is French, the French-speaking population of the country dropped over six years. Official reports point out that the percentage of Canadians with French as their first language dropped to 21.4% in 2022 from 22.2% in 2016.

In the Meeting our Objectives: Francophone Immigration Strategy publication in 2019, IRCC announced its goal to meet 4.4% of French-speaking immigrants by 2023 outside Quebec.

On 23rd January in Sturgeon Falls, the Honorable Sean Fraser, the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), announced that Canada achieved the target of 4.4% in 2022. He was accompanied by the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister, Marie-France Lalonde and the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Official Languages, Marc G. Serré.

It was reported that Canada welcomed the most Francophone newcomers in 2022 since 2006, when only 2,800 Francophone residents lived outside Quebec. This made up 1.38% of immigrants in Canada. Over the last year, the number of francophone minorities settled in Canada has grown to 16,300 since 2006, which marks a huge jump of 3.02%. Ever since Canada started recording the data on immigration, this number is the biggest of French-speaking immigrants outside of Quebec in the country.

The country has been witnessing a steady growth of Francophone immigrants throughout the last five years, with an increment of 42,470. This has not only helped the country reach its targets but also, since 2018, welcome more than three times the number of immigrants.

By achieving this goal, Canada demonstrates its commitment to strengthening Francophone communities outside of Quebec and valuing the contributions of Francophone immigrants to the country. Canada understands how these immigrants contribute immensely to the diversity of Canada's linguistic and cultural setting by promoting French and helping address the country’s labor shortages.

The Canadian government is making a bold move to prioritize Francophone immigration outside of Quebec in the coming years, focusing on promoting population growth and economic prosperity. One way they do this is through the Action Plan for Official Languages 2018-2023, which has allocated a whopping $40.7 million towards Francophone immigration initiatives.