Welcoming Francophone Communities initiative
Build your life in a Francophone community in Canada
Fourteen welcoming Francophone communities are going above and beyond to provide services to French-speaking newcomers to help them settle and build their new lives in Canada.
Discover what these 14 communities have to offer and find the one that meets your needs!
Podcast: Listen to learn about the Francophone communities Available to listen in French only
This podcast features the inspiring and relatable journeys of French-speaking immigrants who have chosen to live in Canada. Listen to their first experiences to learn how these immigrants contribute to their new communities and what these communities bring them in return.
English transcriptions of the episodes are available.
Video: Discover the 14 communities
Transcript : “Discover the 14 Welcoming Francophone Communities”
Title: Welcoming Francophone Communities initiative
Length of video: 01:17
Singing and piano and guitar music are heard.
The video opens with an image on a white background with graphic animation.
The title “Welcoming Francophone Communities initiative” and the “Building my life in French in Canada” logo appear on the screen.
Transition to an image of a city on a winter night. An image of a family of 4 appears on the screen in a bubble, followed by the text “Klein Family, Whitehorse, Yukon.”
Narration: Did you know that there are many Francophone communities in Canada outside the province of Quebec?
Transition to an image of a city where a festival is taking place. An image of a young woman appears on the screen in a bubble, followed by the text “Sarah Maurice, Prince George, British Columbia.”
Narration: These communities are going the extra mile to welcome you and help you settle.
Transition to an image of a downtown area. An image of a young man appears on the screen in a bubble, followed by the text “Jean Rixon, Calgary, Alberta.”
Transition to an image of a forest with a residential area and a lake in the background. An image of a young man appears on the screen in a bubble, followed by the text “Amin Kessab, Yellowknife, Northwest Territories.”
Narration: Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada is working with these Welcoming Francophone Communities …
Transition to an image of a large body of water with a railway bridge in the background. An image of a family of 7 appears on the screen in a bubble, followed by the text “Musukra Family, Moose Jaw and Gravelbourg, Saskatchewan.”
Narration: to help Francophone newcomers feel at home in their new community.
Transition to an image of a residential area surrounded by farmland. An image of a woman appears on the screen in a bubble, followed by the text “Béatrice Mukahirwa, Seine River Region, Manitoba.”
Transition to an image of a frozen body of water in winter. An image of a woman appears on the screen in a bubble, followed by the text “Priscillia Mbemba, Sudbury, Northern Ontario.”
Transition to an image of a city lit up in the dark. An image of a family of 3 appears on the screen in a bubble, followed by the text “Chetbi Family, Hamilton, Southwestern and Central Ontario.”
Narration: By settling in one of these communities, you will have access to free services in French.
Transition to an image of a village with a bay in the background. An image of a woman appears on the screen in a bubble, followed by the text “Karelle Ngassam, Iqaluit, Nunavut.”
Narration: Discover more about Welcoming Francophone Communities and the wide range of opportunities they offer to address your needs and the needs of your family.
Transition to an image of a river and a bridge with a marina in the background. An image of a family of 4 appears on the screen in a bubble, followed by the text “Gainville Family, Hawkesbury, Eastern Ontario.”
Transition to an image of a road with a mountainous landscape and a body of water in the background. An image of a young woman appears on the screen in a bubble, followed by the text “Ruth Bongda, Labrador City-Wabush, Newfoundland and Labrador.”
Transition to an image of a frozen lake in winter with a small city in the background. An image of a family of 4 appears on the screen in a bubble, followed by the text “Casimir Family, Haut-Saint-Jean, New Brunswick.”
Narration: From job opportunities and French schools, to French cultural associations and community services, …
Transition to an image of a lighthouse on a rocky cape. An image of a young boy and 2 young women appear on the screen in a bubble, followed by the text “Étienne Timon and his educators, Évangéline Region, Prince Edward Island.”
Narration: find out what the Welcoming Francophone Communities have available for you.
Transition to an image of a winding road in a mountainous landscape. An image of a family of 4 appears on the screen in a bubble, followed by the text “Singh Family, Municipality of the District of Clare, Nova Scotia.”
Narration: Come build your life in French in Canada!
Transition to a map of Canada with the names of the provinces and territories. Small bubbles connected by arrows to the provinces and territories appear on the screen. The bubbles show the images of the Francophone communities seen previously.
Text on screen: “For more information, visit: ca-ciconline.com/franco-immigration.”
On a white background appears the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada corporate signature and the copyright message “Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, represented by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, 2021.”
The “Canada” wordmark appears on a white background.
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About the Welcoming Francophone Communities initiative
The Welcoming Francophone Communities initiative represents 14 areas that have been selected to welcome and support French-speaking newcomers in their new community.
This initiative is co-led by:
- Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC)
- Francophone communities outside Quebec
- the 13 Réseaux en immigration francophone (opens in a new tab) (RIF) (Francophone Immigration Networks),
- the Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne (opens in a new tab) (FCFA) (Federation of Francophone and Acadian Communities) and
- the Comité atlantique sur l’immigration francophone (Atlantic Committee for Francophone Immigration (CAIF))
These 14 welcoming Francophone communities do everything they can to support French-speaking newcomers in their plans to live in Canada.
Planning the initiative
Planning for this initiative began in June 2018 and took place over 2 years.
During this time, each community established an advisory board with representatives to
- set goals
- develop proposals for activities
- make recommendations on what activities should be done with the available budgets
Initiative timeline
The activities recommended by the community advisory boards began in 2020 and will continue over 3 years. Each of the welcoming Francophone communities is working hard to welcome and support French-speaking newcomers in their integration.
Budget provided to each community
Funding for the initiative comes from the 2018–2023 Action Plan for Official Languages: Investing in Our Future. This plan was announced as part of the 2018 federal budget.
Each community is given an annual amount to help implement their activities.
| Province or territory | Community | Annual funds available |
|---|---|---|
Prince Edward Island |
Évangéline Region |
$209,402 |
Nova Scotia |
Municipality of the District of Clare |
$232,629 |
New Brunswick |
Haut-Saint-Jean |
$327,016 |
Newfoundland and Labrador |
Labrador City-Wabush |
$215,621 |
Ontario East |
Hawkesbury |
$450,000 |
Ontario North |
Sudbury |
$216,102 |
Southwest and central Ontario |
Hamilton |
$450,000 |
Manitoba |
Seine River Region |
$360,242 |
Saskatchewan |
Moose Jaw and Gravelbourg |
$277,194 |
Alberta |
Calgary |
$450,000 |
British Columbia |
Prince George |
$431,401 |
Northwest Territories |
Yellowknife |
$101,890 |
Yukon |
Whitehorse |
$102,749 |
Nunavut |
Iqaluit |
$100,756 |
More resources on Francophone life outside Quebec
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