ARCHIVED – IMPLEMENTATION OF SECTION 41 OF THE
OFFICIAL LANGUAGES ACT
ACTION PLAN FOR 2006-2007, 2007-2008 AND 2008-2009

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Table of Content

General Information and Period Covered
Summary of Main Results Targeted
Methodology
Detailed Action Plan for 2006-07, 2007-08 and 2008-09
Recurring/Ongoing CIC Activities That Foster Francophone Immigration
Summary of Targeted Results by Category
Distribution List

General Information and Period Covered

Department	Citizenship and Immigration Canada
Address	365 Laurier Avenue West, 14th Floor Ottawa, Ontario K1A 1L1
Web site	www.cic.gc.ca
Minister responsible	The Honourable Monte Solberg
Senior officials responsible for the implementation of Part VII of the Official Languages Act (OLA)	Deputy Minister Richard B. Fadden Champion Daniel Jean Assistant Deputy Minister Operations Co-Champion Gina Rallis Director General Human Resources
Departmental mandate	Created in 1994, CIC brings together the government’s citizenship and immigration services in order to promote the specific ideals shared by all Canadians and help build a stronger Canada. CIC’s mandate is based on the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, enacted in 2002 as a result of major legislative reform, and on the Citizenship Act of 1977. Pursuant to the Constitution Act of 1867, immigration is an area of shared jurisdiction with the provinces and territories.
National Coordinator responsible for the implementation of Section 41 of the OLA	Name Christiane Desautels Title Manager, Performance Reporting Address 365 Laurier Avenue West 14th Floor Ottawa, Ontario K1A 1L1 E-mail christiane.desautels@cic.gc.ca
Assistant National Coordinator	Name Denis Parent Title Analyst, Performance Reporting Address 365 Laurier Avenue West 14th Floor Ottawa, Ontario K1A 1L1 E-mail denis.parent@cic.gc.ca
Regional Coordinators	Maryse O’Neill Atlantic Region Citizenship and Immigration Canada 495 Prospect Street Fredericton, New Brunswick E3B 9M4 Kathleen Greenway Ontario Region Citizenship and Immigration Canada 25 St. Clair Avenue East, Suite 700 Toronto, Ontario M4T 1M2 Lissette Bonilla Quebec Region Citizenship and Immigration Canada 1010 St. Antoine Street West, 2nd Floor Montreal, Quebec H3C 4H6 Thérèse Vermette British Columbia and Yukon Region Citizenship and Immigration Canada 641-800 Burrard Street Vancouver, British Columbia V6Z 2V8 Lynne Belding Prairies and Northern Territories Region Citizenship and Immigration Canada 25 Forks Market Road, Suite 400 Winnipeg, Manitoba R3C 4S9
Period covered by Action Plan	This Action Plan covers the 2006-07, 2007-08 and 2008-09 fiscal years.

Summary of Main Results Targeted

Because of the type of work that CIC is engaged in, promoting linguistic duality is an integral part of its operations. Overall, the promotional activities are carried out on a recurring basis through contacts with departmental staff, the Department’s stakeholders and partners, and the Francophone minority communities (FMCs).

This action plan for the implementation of Section 41 of the OLA presents the main measures that the Department intends to take over the next three years (2006-2009) in fulfilling its commitment with respect to Canada’s linguistic duality. The plan is an extension of the actions taken by CIC in recent years to foster the development of FMCs and is subject to the continuation of funding.

The federal government’s Action Plan for Official Languages has supported the CIC‑Francophone Minority Communities Steering Committee in developing its Strategic Framework to Foster Immigration to Francophone Minority Communities, made public in November 2003. This framework is the basis for the Strategic Plan to Foster Immigration to Francophone Minority Communities, which will be launched in the fall of 2006. This three-year action plan is derived from the Strategic Plan and is based on the following precepts [note 1]:

All Francophones living in provinces and territories other than Quebec are considered part of the FMCs.
Section 23 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms grants these communities educational rights.
Section 41 of the Official Languages Act confirms the federal government’s commitment to enhancing the vitality of these communities.

The main activities that CIC intends to carry out over the next three years to foster immigration to the FMCs are summarized below by category of activity.

Awareness

Activities to raise CIC staff’s awareness of Canada’s linguistic duality are carried out on an ongoing basis in light of the nature of CIC activities.

The Human Resources Branch, in collaboration with other branches, promotes Canada’s linguistic duality and encourages and supports all CIC employees in their efforts to learn their second language or upgrade their second-language skills.

In particular, awareness activities target employees working in programs related to the development of FMCs since they require such awareness to carry out their responsibilities.

Consultation

CIC consults with the FMCs on many of its initiatives in order to ensure that the planned activities are relevant. The work of the Steering Committee and its results attest to this.

Consultations are held during negotiations or when agreements with the provinces and territories are renewed.

Communications

CIC plans to continue its substantive work with the FMCs. Information on the FMCs will be updated regularly on the departmental Web site. Information, promotion and recruitment activities will be carried out in Canada and abroad. CIC will work to maintain and improve relations with the provinces and territories, encouraging them to use the Provincial Nominee Program to recruit French-speaking immigrants, among others.

In addition, CIC will continue to include official languages clauses in new and renewed agreements on immigration with the provinces and territories. Special attention will be paid to collecting data on Francophone immigration.

Coordination and liaison

Coordination and liaison activities will support the implementation of the Strategic Plan and this action plan. It is proposed that the mandate of the Steering Committee be renewed so that a number of federal departments, the provincial and territorial governments and community representatives work together on implementation.

Program funding and delivery

CIC plans to support the FMCs in their promotion of private sponsorship and increased intake of French-speaking refugees.

CIC will target its integration-support actions by paying special attention to the more vulnerable client groups-women and children. Settlement services will be available in French as provided for in the official languages clauses of contribution agreements.

CIC will conduct an ongoing review of language training programs and make changes to them in cases where improvements are required.

Accountability

Every year, CIC prepares a status report on achievements in implementing Section 41 of the OLA. It describes the progress achieved in developing the official languages minority communities during the preceding fiscal year. The report is based on instructions from Canadian Heritage and is usually submitted to that department in the spring.

Taken from CIC’s Strategic Plan to Foster Immigration to Francophone Minority Communities, 2006.

Methodology

Few of the results targeted by the Action Plan on the implementation of Section 41 of the OLA cover only one category of activity [note 2]. Accordingly, most activities in the plan involve several categories at once.

To make the Action Plan easier to understand, we have highlighted the predominant category of activity for each targeted result in cases where the result involves more than one category. The categories are selected using the matrix of categories of activity, and the predominant one is identified by a larger symbol than the others. This form of graphic representation immediately shows the scope of the activity, by the number of categories involved, and the predominant category, by the size of the symbol.

We have chosen to use this matrix to keep the document as short as possible, given that most activities in the Action Plan involve more than one category. In addition, grouping activities by predominant category ensures consistency.

We have also drawn up a list of recurring and ongoing activities that CIC carries out each year, even though the list is not part of our analysis of activities in the Action Plan. This approach brings out the range of the positive measures taken by the Department to promote Canada’s linguistic duality through the development of FMCs. All the items in the list have already been covered in specific activities in earlier versions of the Action Plan. Here too, applying the matrix of categories of activity shows the scope of each activity by the number of categories involved, and the predominant category, by the size of the symbol for each recurring or ongoing activity concerned. We have adopted this approach in order to provide a dynamic presentation of activities that foster FMC development and minimize the duplication of items in the various plans. The list appears after the detailed Action Plan.

Canadian Heritage established these categories of activity to standardize the structure of departmental action plans and the results-based status reports. The categories are as follows: awareness, consultation, communications, coordination and liaison, program funding and delivery, and accountability.

Detailed Action Plan for 2006-07,
2007-08 and 2008-09

Communications activities

The purpose of the communications activities is to inform the FMCs about the Department’s programs and services. CIC plans to continue its substantive communications work with the FMCs. Information on the CIC Web site will be updated regularly. Information, promotion and recruitment activities will be carried out in Canada and abroad, and CIC will work to maintain and improve relations with the provinces and territories, encouraging them to use the Provincial Nominee Program to recruit French-speaking immigrants.

Communications (C)
Main Results Targeted	Main Activities Planned to Achieve Targeted Results	Results Measurement Indicators
1. Recruitment of skilled French-speaking workers is increased. Awareness Consultation Communications Coordination and liaison	Updating of FMC-related information on Internet Organization of information sessions and promotion and recruitment seminars and events Organization of and support for foreign media visits to Canada ensured by CIC national headquarters, regional offices and Canadian missions Dissemination of information on Canada by Canadian offices abroad in countries with a pool of potential French-speaking immigrants Encouragement of provinces and territories to use the Provincial Nominee Program to recruit French-speaking immigrants Establishment of closer ties between the federal government, the provinces and the territories on the one hand, and public and private sector employers, trades/professional organizations and employment agencies on the other Production of statistical reports on Francophone immigration Creation of links or structures for consultation between the federal government and certain provinces and their Francophone communities Allocation of human and financial resources enabling community and government stakeholders in the provinces and territories to launch initiatives for increasing the number of Francophones in minority communities Inclusion of official languages clauses in all new and renewed federal-provincial/territorial agreements on immigration	Visits to CIC Web site in Canada and abroad Provincial and territorial participation in recruitment activities (number of Francophone participants) Increase in French-speaking applicants wanting to settle outside Quebec Increase in French-speaking applicants under the Provincial Nominee Program Consultations between provinces, territories and their Francophone communities on Francophone immigration Number of newspaper and magazine articles and TV and radio programs on the situation of Francophone communities outside Quebec Production of promotional material on Francophone communities Participation by provinces, territories and FMCs in promotion and recruitment activities abroad
2. The number of French-speaking international students is increased in order to increase the number of applications for permanent residence. Awareness Consultation Communications Coordination and liaison	Organization of information sessions and participation in student fairs Dissemination of promotional material Tours of Canadian institutions abroad	Number of participants Number of applications for study permits to attend French-speaking institutions outside Quebec Number of French-speaking international students obtaining permanent residence
3. FMC reception capacity is strengthened. Awareness Consultation Communications Coordination and liaison Program funding and delivery	Establishment of networks to coordinate the immigration of French-speaking persons to FMCs that want to use immigration to enhance their vitality and support their development Organization of awareness activities in FMCs	Number of communities building long-term reception and integration capacity Number of initiatives and their relevance Number of partnerships established Communities’ recognition of potential contribution of immigration to their vitality and development

Coordination and liaison activities

Coordination and Liaison (D)
Main Results Targeted	Main Activities Planned to Achieve Targeted Results	Results Measurement Indicators
4. Mechanisms are set up for coordinating the implementation of the Strategic Plan. Awareness Consultation Communications Coordination and liaison	Renewal of CIC-FMC Steering Committee’s mandate, with annual meeting Creation of Implementation Committee, with biannual meetings Establishment of regional committees to identify needs and priorities for implementing the Strategic Plan	Annual meeting of CIC-FMC Steering Committee Number of meetings of Implementation Committee and regional committees Participation in committees by partners with key role in the implementation of Strategic Plan Regional involvement of key partners

Program funding and delivery activities

CIC plans to support the FMCs in their promotion of private sponsorship and increased intake of French-speaking refugees. CIC will target its integration-support actions and pay special attention to the more vulnerable client groups-women and children. Settlement services will be available in French as provided for in the official languages clauses of contribution agreements. CIC will conduct an ongoing review of language-training programs and make changes to them in cases where improvements are required.

Program Funding and Delivery (E)
Main Results Targeted	Main Activities Planned to Achieve Targeted Results	Results Measurement Indicators
5. The FMCs are supported in their efforts and activities to promote private sponsorship of French-speaking refugees. Program funding and delivery	Call to FMCs to propose specific promotion projects for funding Financial support for Private Sponsorship of Refugees Program in FMCs	Number of funding applications received Number of funded activities
6. More French-speaking refugees are received. Program funding and delivery	Continuation of work with missions abroad to identify French-speaking refugees who could resettle outside Quebec	Identification of French-speaking refugee populations requiring lasting resettlement solutions Number of profiles added to matching centre Web site
7. Language training (in French or English) is relevant to needs of French-speaking immigrants to the FMCs. Awareness Consultation Communications Program funding and delivery	Ongoing review of language training programs based on needs of French-speaking immigrants Modification of language training programs following review	Number and nature of improvements to language programs Satisfaction of French-speaking immigrants with effectiveness of language training programs in meeting their needs
8. Integration of new or already settled immigrants in FMCs is supported. Awareness Consultation Communications Coordination and liaison Program funding and delivery	Creation of tools and initiatives to support the more vulnerable client groups (women, children) in integrating into FMCs Availability of settlement services in French (in accordance with language clauses in contribution agreements)	Number of tools created to support vulnerable client groups Number of initiatives launched in support of vulnerable client groups Nature of initiatives launched Number and nature of settlement services available in French

Recurring/Ongoing CIC Activities That Foster Francophone Immigration

Below we present the list of recurring and ongoing activities that CIC carries out each year in order to bring out the range of the Department’s positive measures to promote Canada’s linguistic duality through development of the FMCs.

Recurring/Ongoing Activities at CIC That Foster Francophone Immigration
Categories of Activity	Activities
Awareness Consultation Communications Coordination and liaison Program funding and delivery	Promotional tours of Francophone communities abroad
Awareness Consultation Communications Coordination and liaison	Off-campus work for students
Awareness Consultation Communications Coordination and liaison Program funding and delivery	Reception and settlement services in French where needs are identified
Communications	Information sessions for FMCs on Private Sponsorship of Refugees Program
Awareness Consultation Coordination and liaison	Amended selection grid (more points for skilled workers who speak both official languages)
Awareness Consultation Communications Coordination and liaison	Insertion of official languages clauses in all new and renewed federal-provincial/territorial agreements, including Provincial Nominee Program (PNP)
Awareness Consultation Communications Coordination and liaison	Promotion of provinces’ and territories’ use of PNP to foster immigration to Canada’s Francophone minority communities
Awareness Consultation Communications	Use of citizenship ceremony documentation in both official languages
Awareness Consultation Communications Coordination and liaison	Holding of citizenship ceremonies in both official languages
Awareness Communications	Sensitization of CIC staff to the importance of Francophone communities for Canada’s identity as a bilingual country
Awareness Consultation Communications Coordination and liaison Accountability	Production of action plans and status reports on the implementation of Section 41 of the OLA

Summary of Targeted Results by Category

To help readers understand the range of activities that CIC intends to carry out during the period covered by the Action Plan, we present a summary of targeted results by category of activity.

Main Results Targeted

Recruitment of skilled French-speaking workers is increased.
- Awareness
- Consultation
- Communications
- Coordination and liaison
The number of French-speaking international students is increased in order to increase the number of applications for permanent residence.
- Awareness
- Consultation
- Communications
- Coordination and liaison
FMC reception capacity is strengthened.
- Awareness
- Consultation
- Communications
- Coordination and liaison
- Program funding and delivery
Mechanisms are set up for coordinating the implementation of the Strategic Plan.
- Awareness
- Consultation
- Communications
- Coordination and liaison
The FMCs are supported in their efforts and activities to promote private sponsorship of French-speaking refugees.
- Program funding and delivery
More French-speaking refugees are received.
- Program funding and delivery
Language training (in French or English) is relevant to the needs of French-speaking immigrants to FMCs.
- Awareness
- Consultation
- Communications
- Program funding and delivery
Integration of new and already settled immigrants in FMCs is supported.
- Awareness
- Consultation
- Communications
- Coordination and liaison
- Program funding and delivery

Distribution List

Richard B. Fadden, Deputy Minister, CIC
Daniel Jean, Assistant Deputy Minister, Operations, and Champion for Official Languages
Gina Rallis, Director General, Human Resources, and Co-Champion for Official Languages
Malcolm Brown, Assistant Deputy Minister, Strategic and Program Policy
Liliane Binette, Assistant Deputy Minister, Client Service Modernization
John McWhinnie, Assistant Deputy Minister, Corporate Services
Janet Siddall, Associate Assistant Deputy Minister, Operations
Directors General, CIC
CIC coordinators responsible for the implementation of Section 41 of the OLA
Members, House of Commons Standing Committee on Official Languages
Members, Senate Standing Committee on Official Languages
Commissioner of Official Languages
Groups and organizations from official languages minority communities
Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne du Canada

Footnotes

1. Taken from CIC’s Strategic Plan to Foster Immigration to Francophone Minority Communities, 2006. [back to note 1]
2. Canadian Heritage established these categories of activity to standardize the structure of departmental action plans and the results-based status reports. The categories are as follows: awareness, consultation, communications, coordination and liaison, program funding and delivery, and accountability. [back to note 2]