Francophones outside Quebec concerned about Carney government’s silence
Posted September 24, 2025 12:55 pm.
The Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne (FCFA) has expressed concern for several reasons and is asking the Carney government to clarify its vision for official languages.
FCFA President Liane Roy, who represents 25 Francophone organizations outside Quebec, shared a series of concerns affecting Francophone minority communities across the country at a press conference in Ottawa on Wednesday morning.
“Five months have passed since the federal election. While Prime Minister Carney stated during the campaign that French would never be on the negotiating table, the ministers’ mandate letter is silent on the government’s priorities for promoting our two official languages,“ said the FCFA president, lamenting that the ministers her organization met with ”were unable to provide clarity on this issue.”
In June 2023, Justin Trudeau’s government’s Bill C-13 allowed for the adoption of the overhaul of the Official Languages Act.
However, this reform, which enshrines a new right to work and be served in French in Francophone regions, must be accompanied by regulations in order to be implemented.
“We have spent several years working hard to modernize the Official Languages Act because French is in decline in this country,” but “federal institutions will not take action to implement it until the government adopts regulations telling them how to do so. We are still waiting for these regulations,” lamented Roy.
The Federation is also concerned about the federal government’s lack of explanation on how it will meet its targets for Francophone immigration.
“With regard to Francophone immigration, the Prime Minister personally committed during the campaign to a target of 12 per cent. This is important to slow the decline in the demographic weight of Francophone minority communities, caused by two decades in which they did not receive their fair share of immigration to the country. The Official Languages Act of 2023 requires the government to take action in this regard. But since the election, there has been no indication from the government,” said Roy.
“What is the specific plan to achieve this target? Are we still talking about creating an economic immigration program specifically for Francophones?” asked the FCFA president.
The FCFA “also views the upcoming federal budget with some apprehension” and the budget cuts that could accompany it.
“We know that we can expect 15 per cent cuts in federal government spending over the next three years. Have instructions been given to departments and agencies to be mindful of the impact on the government’s overall capacity in terms of official languages? Are there plans in place to avoid negative impacts on our communities?”
The president of the Fédération des communautés francophones et acadiennes says she wants to ask these questions to Treasury Board President Shafqat Ali, “but our requests for a meeting have not yet been successful,” said Roy.
–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews
