June 18, 2018 – Toronto, ON – Today, 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.
Approximately 2,100 French-speaking new permanent residents land at Pearson each year. IRCC is committed to strengthening the quality of settlement services for these new arrivals and connecting them to Francophone communities outside Quebec as early as possible in their settlement and integration process.
To meet this commitment, IRCC is launching a Request for Quotations process to select a Francophone organization to provide services in French for new arrivals at Pearson. This process is expected to be completed by the fall of 2018.
While Pearson is the main intake point for newcomers to Canada, IRCC is looking at options that could be implemented at other international airports across the country where French-speaking newcomers arrive.
In March 2018, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Canadian Heritage Minister Mélanie Joly announced the Action Plan for Official Languages 2018-2023, which includes increasing investments by $40.8 million over 5 years to support a consolidated Francophone integration pathway and coordinated Francophone immigration policies and programs. This includes improving Francophone settlement services at Pearson.
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