From: Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n The Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, along with Arif Virani, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Canadian Heritage, unveiled new initiatives to improve services for Francophone immigrants at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport.<\/p>\n June 18, 2018 \u2013 Toronto, ON \u2013<\/strong> The announcement highlighted the commitment to enhance settlement services for the approximately 2,100 French-speaking immigrants who arrive annually at Pearson. The aim is to facilitate their integration into Francophone communities outside Quebec right from their arrival.<\/p>\n To achieve this, IRCC is initiating a Request for Quotations to select a Francophone organization to provide French language services to newcomers at Pearson. This selection process is expected to conclude by fall 2018.<\/p>\n While Pearson serves as the primary entry point for newcomers to Canada, IRCC is exploring similar service enhancements at other international airports welcoming French-speaking immigrants.<\/p>\n In March 2018, the federal government announced the Action Plan for Official Languages 2018-2023. This initiative includes an investment of $40.8 million over five years to support Francophone integration and related immigration policies, including enhanced services at Pearson.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Government is committed to creating a comprehensive Francophone integration pathway, ensuring French-speaking newcomers receive complete information and quality services from Francophone organizations. A competent service provider at Pearson Airport is essential to achieving this objective.\u201d<\/p>\n – The Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n \u201cThe new Action Plan for Official Languages represents the Government of Canada\u2019s largest investment in official languages to date. This effort is critical to the vitality and sustainability of Francophone minority communities, impacting education, arts, and culture. The Francophone integration pathway is integral to supporting the growth and prosperity of these communities.\u201d<\/p>\n – The Honourable M\u00e9lanie Joly, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Minister responsible for Official Languages<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Contacts for media only<\/strong><\/p>\n Mathieu Genest<\/strong> Media Relations<\/strong> Approximately 2,100 French-speaking immigrants arrive annually at Pearson International Airport.<\/p>\n The Francophone integration pathway aims to provide French-speaking newcomers with comprehensive information and access to quality services from Francophone organizations.<\/p>\n Reception services include providing settlement information, distributing winter clothing to refugees, assisting with travel connections, and offering transportation to temporary accommodation.<\/p>\n The Action Plan for Official Languages 2018-2023 is supported by a $499.2 million investment over five years, alongside a continuing $2.2 billion to strengthen community infrastructure.<\/p>\n Yes, IRCC is considering options to implement similar services at other international airports across Canada.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Today, the Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, was joined by Arif Virani, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Canadian Heritage, to announce improvements in services for Francophone immigrants arriving at Pearson International Airport in Toronto. … <\/i>Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":5804,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[89],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5806","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-immigration"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/applytocanada.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5806","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/applytocanada.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/applytocanada.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/applytocanada.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/applytocanada.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5806"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/applytocanada.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5806\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/applytocanada.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5804"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/applytocanada.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5806"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/applytocanada.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5806"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/applytocanada.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5806"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Announcement of Service Improvements<\/h2>\n
Official Statements<\/h2>\n
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Key Highlights<\/h2>\n
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Relevant Links<\/h2>\n
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Press Contacts<\/h2>\n
Minister\u2019s Office
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada
613-954-1064<\/p>\n
Communications Branch
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada
613-952-1650
IRCC.COMMMediaRelations-RelationsmediasCOMM.IRCC@cic.gc.ca<\/a><\/p>\nFAQs<\/h2>\n
How many French-speaking immigrants arrive at Pearson each year?<\/h3>\n
What is the purpose of the Francophone integration pathway?<\/h3>\n
What are the key components of the reception services at Pearson?<\/h3>\n
How is the Action Plan for Official Languages funded?<\/h3>\n
Are there plans to expand Francophone services to other airports?<\/h3>\n