THUNDER BAY -- The Liberal government is making investments to ensure the health of bilingualism in Canada.
On Friday, they announced their five-year action plan for official languages in Canada at Centre Francophone.
Liberal MP Patty Hajdu called it a historic investment, as the new plan proposes $499.2 million in additional funding, bringing the government’s total to almost $2.7 billion over five years.
The plan is set to impact many areas, with some of the largest investments going toward Francophone immigration strategy, access to French-language services, and education initiatives, among others.
“We have pockets of Francophone communities [in Northwestern Ontario], and therein lies the challenge,” Hajdu said.
“Imagine being a Francophone in Longlac trying to access any service… and you don’t have a French-speaking person to provide those services. It can be really difficult.”
Statistics Canada indicates a decline in the percentage of Francophones outside of Quebec despite a slow growth of bilingualism.
“The biggest challenge official language minorities face is actually getting access to services in their language,” Hajdu said.
The funding will help support second-language service centres -- such as Centre Francophone -- to help with the challenges for French-speakers in an English-dominant community.
“We know we need to protect French, especially in Canada with a decline of French-speakers. We’re proud of both of our official languages as Canadians.”
