Francophone immigration research – issues and priorities

Saint Paul University, Ottawa (223 Main Street)

March 12, 2015

Copies of the full report are available upon request to Research-Recherche@cic.gc.ca.

Executive summary of the research meeting

Objectives and streams

This research meeting was organized by the Association des collèges et universités de la francophonie canadienne (ACUFC) in partnership with Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC). The objective was to review the status and priorities of research on immigration in Francophone minority communities (FMCs). The scientific discussions focused on three main research streams:

  • Stream 1: Immigrating in a Francophone minority context – Experiences and trajectories: What are the challenges faced by Francophone immigrants?
  • Stream 2: Host communities and their support services: Challenges and availability of services and resources in French.
  • Stream 3: Defining the Francophone minority context and the comprehensiveness of support services for immigrants.

Audience/Participants

This meeting brought together 24 individuals, with excellent representation in terms of geography and diversity, as well as academic disciplines and research specialities. More specifically, the audience was made up of:

  • 15 researchers: Paul Dubé (Campus Saint Jean), Suzanne Huot (University of Western Ontario), Gertrude Mianda (Glendon College), Isabelle Violette (Université de Moncton), Caroline Andrew (University of Ottawa), Luisa Veronis (University of Ottawa), Louise Fontaine (Université Ste-Anne), Boniface Bahi (University of Alberta), Chedly Belkhodja (Concordia University), Yves Bourgeois (University of New Brunswick), Phyllis Dalley (University of Ottawa), Yves Labrèche (Université de Saint Boniface), Mireille Paquet (Concordia University), Éric Forgues (CIRML) and Nicole Gallant (INRS).
  • Six government representatives: Cédric de Chardon, Anne Marie Robert, Nicolas Garant, David MacGregor and Josée Makropoulos from CIC; and Sarah Boily from Canadian Heritage.
  • Three representatives from organizations: Marjie Brown from the FCFA, and Marielle Beaulieu and Patricia Ahouansou from the ACUFC.

Follow-up and impact

Besides the production of a 25 page summary report identifying research priorities, this meeting contributed to the implementation of a network of researchers to support the dissemination and sharing of knowledge and, if desired, the special implementation of working groups for specific issues. Given the success of this meeting, CIC is considering organizing a similar research meeting in 2016.

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