The Centre Culturel Francophone de l’Okanagan building in Kelowna.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/FACEBOOK
February 01, 2025 - 4:00 PM
The federal government is launching a program to bring more French speakers to Kelowna to help grow Francophone communities outside of Quebec.
“I think people who arrive in Canada, no matter where they're from, expect to have the French language in Canada as it's an official language. So we're just happy to bring that,” the Centre Culturel Francophone de l’Okanagan’s executive director Hélène Girardot told iNFOnews.ca.
The Francophone Community Immigration Pilot is going to try to help new Francophone Canadians find work, and permanent residence pathways. Groups like Girardot’s are there to help them connect with the community.
“Usually Vancouver is too expensive and the weather here is more attractive too,” she said. “You still have the lakes, the mountains. I think people who arrive in Canada also want to see the country itself and visit everywhere. So, I think Kelowna is great for that.”
Kelowna is the only city in B.C. with the program but it is also available in Sudbury, Timmins, St. Pierre Joly, Superior East Region and Acadian Peninsula.
Employers can sign up for the program and get connected with workers in the program. People in the program can also get a work permit while they apply and wait for permanent resident status. The program was announced on Jan. 30 and the applications opened on Jan. 31. The fee to sign up starts at $1,525.
Kelowna’s population of French-only speakers grew by 25 per cent from 2016 to 2021, and the amount of people who speak both English and French grew by 17 per cent, according to Statistics Canada.
“It's nice to see that the community is growing, but also changing,” Girardot said. “We've had for many years people from Quebec, Ontario, New Brunswick and France, and now we have more and more newcomers from Africa, North Africa and other countries of Europe.”
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Girardot said the Société de développement économique, the French economic development society, is working with the government to help facilitate the economic side of the program while the Centre Culturel Francophone is ready to help people settle into their lives in Kelowna.
“Events where they can meet French people. Where we can have, maybe not mentors, but to meet the community so they feel at home here and they know they're not alone,” she said.
The Francophone Community Immigration Pilot is launching alongside the Rural Community Immigration Pilot to help attract all migrants to 18 different rural communities including the North Okanagan and Shuswap.
"Rural and Francophone communities are vital to Canada’s growth and cultural diversity, and we value the unique contributions that newcomers make in these places. By welcoming skilled immigrants to these areas, we are addressing labour shortages and economic needs while promoting the benefits of living in a smaller town or city. Our commitment to supporting these regions reflects our belief that each one matters,” Minister of Immigration Marc Miller said in a press release.
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