Canadians are proud of our two official languages, and they form an important part of our identity and our communities all across the country. But instead of making the changes needed to strengthen and promote language rights, over the last four years the Liberal government neglected and even reduced support in some areas.

It’s time for a different approach, one that makes life easier and ensures a bright future for minority language communities everwhere (sic). A New Democrat government will enhance the Action Plan for Official Languages to improve access to services in the language of choice, including working with the provinces and territories to improve minority language education, and attract more French-speaking immigrants to communities all across the country.

We’ll also modernize the Official Languages Act to strengthen oversight and accountability, expand the scope of language rights and ensure that minority language communities are consulted on decisions that impact them. New Democrats will make sure that Canadians can access justice in their language of choice, and that judges on the Supreme Court are bilingual.We will also adopt the principal of asymmetry, which recognizes that as a minority official language, French requires particular protection and promotion.

These efforts will happen alongside our commitment to the promotion and revitalization of Indigenous languages – recognizing that honouring Canada’s linguistic heritage must include reconciliation.

— Ready for Better, retrieved 2021-08-27

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• Work with the Government of Québec to apply the French Language Charter to federally regulated businesses operating in Québec.

• Table, within our first 100 days in government, legislation modernizing the Official Languages Act.

° The Liberals haven’t acted in six years, and Canada’s francophone minorities have waited long enough.

° The new legislation will:

 - Increase the powers of the Official Languages Commissioner.

 - Give Treasury Board the authority and responsibility for ensuring the application of the Act across federal departments.

 - Create an Official Languages administrative tribunal to deal with citizen complaints.

 - Include stronger positive obligations in Part VII of the Act.

 - Create more robust mechanisms for the consultation of Official Language minorities.

• Create a new $30 million per year budgetary envelope to provide federal funding to minority francophone post-secondary institutions such as Université de Moncton, the University of Alberta’s Campus Saint-Jean, and the Ontario French University and participate significantly in their future financing, in collaboration with the provinces.

• Increase support for francophone primary and elementary education via the Official Languages in Education Program to reflect demographic growth in the minority francophone student population.

• Increase francophone immigration outside Québec to ensure that the demographic weight of francophone minorities will be maintained.

• Adopt an official French version of the 1867 British North America Act, for which only the English version currently has official status.

— Canada's Recovery Plan, retrieved 2021-08-18

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Fully implement the legislative and administrative measures outlined in the reform document. Work with official language communities, both French and English, to introduce, within the first 100 days, the proposed An Act for the Substantive Equality of French and English and the Strengthening of the Official Languages Act.

Counter the lost demographic weight of francophones in Canada through an ambitious national strategy to support Francophone immigration outside of Quebec.

Support the maintenance and vitality of official language minority communities by helping build, renovate, and develop educational and community spaces that serve official language minority communities.

Permanently increase funding for post-secondary institutions in official language minority communities to $80 million per year. This new commitment of $240 million over 4 years could be used to strengthen the Université de l’Ontario français, Campus Saint-Jean at the University of Alberta, and post-secondary institutions in Northern Ontario and New Brunswick and counter cuts made by Conservative governments.

Continue to contribute to the funding of Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day celebrations in Quebec and across the country

Protect the institutions of Quebec's English- speaking community and support the creation of new organizations in support of this community through initiatives such as the Leadership Institute.

Continue to offer federal services in both official languages in every province.

Continue to support the French-language knowledge of immigrants in Quebec.

Create a strategy to support entrepreneurs in official language minority communities to ensure their vitality through the Regional Development Agencies (RDAs).

— Forward. For Everyone., retrieved 2021-09-02

Invest $120 million to ensure that federal funding is sustainable and directed towards improving access to French immersion and French second-language programs across the country.

— Forward. For Everyone., retrieved 2021-09-02

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