Some $603 million will be invested over five years in numerous measures with the aim of reversing the decline of French.
The Minister of the French Language, Jean-François Roberge presented on Sunday a plan which provides for 21 measures which are already in place or which will be deployed over the coming months.
“This is an important step towards better protection and promotion of our common language,” says Mr. Roberge. It constitutes a transversal roadmap for the government.”
The plan provides in particular $187.3 million to increase the French-speaking cultural offering and its accessibility as well as an amount of $320 million dedicated to the Frenchization of temporary foreign workers.
A sum of $64.9 million will go to various measures aimed at improving the mastery of French among Quebec pupils and students.
The government’s plan also includes detailed annual monitoring of the linguistic situation in the province.
The Legault government also plans to legislate to increase the influence of Quebec content on digital platforms by the end of its mandate.
This plan, which was first to be announced in the fall, comes at a time when bilingual greetings, or “Bonjour-Hi,” are experiencing rapid growth in Montreal businesses.
“We are not resigned to the state of French everywhere in all situations, whether in culture, but also in scientific publications and in the host language,” asserts Minister Roberge.
“Yes, there has been a decline as the latest study by the Office québécois de la langue française shows us, it is almost 13% in 13 years in Montreal, it is considerable, but I will never say that the battle is lost,” he adds.
See the full explanation in the video above
