Action Plan Launched on International Day of La Francophonie

March 20th was the 32nd International Day of La Francophonie, a celebration of French language and francophone culture.

Here in Nova Scotia La Francophonie is an important celebration for our Acadian community, and Lena Metlege Diab, the Acadian Affairs and Francophonie Minister, said “Our Acadian and francophone communities are an essential component of our Nova Scotian identity and heritage,”, and added that “On International Day of La Francophonie, we celebrate French language and francophone culture and honour the important contributions francophones have made to our province and our country.”

This year, our government is marking the celebration with the release of the Francophone Immigration Action Plan, designed to attract and retain French immigrants. Immigration is a vital part of supporting Nova Scotia’s Acadian and francophone communities.

“newcomers will help grow our population, strengthen our economy and revitalize our communities – benefiting all Nova Scotians” 

The plan was developed by the Nova Scotia Office of Immigration and the Office of Acadian Affairs and Francophonie, and outlines the strategic direction and actions for encouraging francophone immigration. Such actions include attracting francophone foreign nationals to immigrate to Nova Scotia and supporting the retention and integration of French-speaking immigrants through access to services and programming.

“It is fitting to launch this plan on the International Day of La Francophonie,” added Ms. Metlege Diab. “Immigrants want to come to our province and attracting and retaining newcomers will help grow our population, strengthen our economy and revitalize our communities – benefiting all Nova Scotians.”

More information on the Nova Scotia Francophone Immigration Action Plan can be found here, https://acadien.novascotia.ca/sites/default/files/inline/documents/fr_immigration_action_plan_en.pdf.