Francophone immigration: NL should it adopt more ambitious targets?

Newfoundland and Labrador should aim for more ambitious targets for French-speaking immigration, according to the director of an immigrant support group and the federal commissioner of official languages.

David Lapierre, coordinator of the Francophone Immigration Network of Newfoundland and Labrador (RIF-TNL), emphasizes that the provincial Francophone immigration target has stagnated since 2017, when the former government of Dwight Ball announced that it would reserve up to 50 nominations per year for French-speaking immigrants under the Provincial Nominee Program.

The number 50 is good, it looks good. It seemed good, by the way, when he had a target of around 1000 applications per year, but now we have increased to 3050 per year.

Since 2022, Ottawa has allocated 3,050 employment-based immigration places to Newfoundland and Labrador each year, including 2,100 places under the Provincial Nominee Program and 950 under the Canada Immigration Program. Atlantic.

I think that the main thing that we would like, that we would like to look into, is to move from a number to a percentage so that it at least follows the provincial targets.said David Lapierre last Wednesday, on the sidelines of a conference on French-speaking immigration, in Saint-Jean.

I think we need to be more ambitious in our targets, whether we have a numerical target or a percentage target, I think we need to aim higheradded Raymond Théberge, Commissioner of Official Languages ​​of Canada, who visited Saint-Jean last Friday.

The challenge, however, is do we have the resources in place to welcome these people into our schools, into our daycares?

What does the NL government think?

In all provinces, the number of places based on employment will be reduced starting next year under the new immigration targets announced last Thursday by the Trudeau government.

Starting in 2025, the number of places under the Provincial Nominee Program will be cut in half, from 110,000 to 55,000. The number of places reserved for the Atlantic Canada Immigration Program will fall from 6,500 to 5,000, which constitutes a reduction of 18%.

Despite the overall reduction in the number of immigrants arriving in Canada, the federal government promises to increase the proportion of French-speaking newcomers settling in the country.

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The provincial Minister of Immigration, Population Growth and Skills, Sarah Stoodleydeplores the new federal targets, supposed to slow down population growth and alleviate the housing crisis.

The federal government wants more French speakers in Canada. We want more francophones in Newfoundland and Labrador. In light of reduced immigration targets, this becomes even more difficult. You have to choose whether you want a French speaker or a health worker. These are not easy decisions.

According to his department, the population of Newfoundland and Labrador has increased over the last 14 quarters, reversing a historic trend, and the trend is mainly explained by immigration.

In 2019, the province welcomed 1,855 new permanent residents, according to the ministry. In 2023, it welcomed 5,485.

NL had requested more immigration places

Sarah Stoodley says the provincial government asked the federal government to increase the immigration places allocated to Newfoundland and Labrador by 15% in 2024. Ottawa rejected the request.

If we reduce the 3,050 places we are currently given, the economy will suffer.she says, noting that 60% of immigrants arriving in Newfoundland and Labrador settle in rural areas.

The spokesperson for the Ministry of Immigration, Population Growth and Skills, Allison Kingindicates that the provincial government is currently unaware of the impact of the new federal targets on the number of immigration places allocated to Newfoundland and Labrador.

The exact number of places allocated to the provinces will not be known until next February, she explains.