Abstract
In 2005, the number of Francophones in Ontario increased for the first time in decades due to immigration. This chapter examines key issues surrounding this development. It begins by considering the implications of Francophone immigration for Canada’s national identity, particularly in Northern Ontario. Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) identified Sudbury as a privileged destination for Francophone immigrants outside of Quebec as part of a strategic plan for the implementation of Section 41 of the official Languages Act. Despite this fact, few resources were allocated by CIC to Francophone service providers to cope with the triple task of attracting, retaining, and integrating these immigrants. In addition, CIC has not granted official recognition to the Contact Interculturel Francophone de Sudbury (CIFS), an organization that has been providing services to Francophone newcomers and promoting the métissage of Franco-Ontarian culture. Instead, CIC has favoured a “bilingual” agency, the Sudbury Multicultural and Folks Arts Association (SMFAA). Franco-Ontarians have consistently opposed “bilingual” institutional arrangements, as they often result in unequal access to services. This chapter provides suggestions to overcome these difficulties.
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Acknowledgements
I would like to thank Bob Segsworth for his corrections and suggestions, and the Welcoming Communities Initiative and the Pathways to Prosperity Partnership for their unfailing support. I am also most grateful to Simon Gingras and the Université of Hearst for the opportunity to visit these three communities a few years ago. The remaining shortcomings are all my own.
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Lacassagne, A. (2017). Challenges of Francophone Immigration in Northern Ontario Communities: The Cases of Hearst, Timmins, and Kapuskasing. In: Tibe Bonifacio, G., Drolet, J. (eds) Canadian Perspectives on Immigration in Small Cities. International Perspectives on Migration, vol 12. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-40424-0_13
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