Government of Canada is making investments in British Columbia to enrich our communities and foster sustainable and inclusive economic growth
British Columbia is home to the fifth-largest Francophone community in Canada, with over 300,000 French-speaking residents across the province. As March marks Francophonie Month, the Government of Canada is celebrating the vitality of British Columbia's official language minority community and investing in organizations that boost Francophone businesses and community groups.
Today, the Honourable Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Minister of Official Languages and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, on behalf of the Honourable Harjit S. Sajjan, Minister of International Development and Minister responsible for the Pacific Economic Development Agency of Canada (PacifiCan), announced an investment of over $3.9 million for four projects to support B.C.'s Francophone and Francophile communities.
This investment includes over $2.7 million in operational funding over five years for La Société de développement économique de la Colombie-Britannique (SDÉ). For over 20 years, SDÉ has been a champion for the French-speaking business community in British Columbia. With this funding, the organization will continue offering resources to grow strong Francophone and Francophile businesses across British Columbia. Since 2017, SDÉ has served almost 5,000 clients and supported over 150 community economic development projects to create and maintain thousands of jobs and businesses.
SDÉ will also receive $221,500 through the Tourism Relief Fund to help bilingual, Francophone and Francophile tourism operators in British Columbia expand their offerings and attract more visitors, both Canadian and international.
Today's funding also includes $965,000 for two projects through the Canada Community Revitalization Fund. These investments will help L'Alliance Française de Vancouver and La Société francophone de Victoria enhance cultural hubs for the Francophone and Francophile communities in Vancouver and Victoria.
For additional project details, please see the backgrounder here.
Together, these organizations foster the educational, social and economic needs of British Columbia's official language minority community and help ensure the vitality of Francophone culture across the province.
