Ottawa, December 4, 2023—Canadian Parents for French (CPF) is releasing the French as a Second Language Enrolment Statistics for the 2021–2022 school year. This yearly publication provides a quick analysis of national trends of enrolment in FSL programs by presenting the data by province and territory and by type of program.

Overall, numbers remained stagnant, with no major fluctuations across the country. With the pandemic school closures behind us and their impact more visibly present, these numbers should provide a clear picture of the current situation and the work that needs to be done to ensure that more young Canadians have access to FSL programs.

Key findings of the 2021–2022 edition:

  • At the national level, total enrolment in FSL programs continues to remain stable albeit stagnant.
  • Regarding the overall percentage of students in an FSL program, Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Northwest Territories and Ontario keeps growing steadily.
  • French immersion enrolment in British Columbia, Newfoundland and Labrador, Northwest Territories, Ontario and the Yukon either grew modestly or remained stable.
  • Core French keeps steadily growing in Manitoba, Northwest Territories, Ontario and in Canada overall.

“As we continue our advocacy efforts following the modernization of the Official Languages Act (OLA), these statistics are a fundamental resource for us and our stakeholders alike. Although the numbers are not completely discouraging, they are a reminder of the issues that need to be addressed to increase them. With the acknowledgement of the importance of learning a second official language in the reformed OLA, we need cooperation from the provincial and territorial governments to ensure equitable access for second language learning,” said Nicole Thibault, CPF Network CEO.

The figures are obtained by the specific departments of education directly or from Statistics Canada. CPF publishes the French as a Second Language Enrolment Statistics annually but does not publish same-year statistics as not all ministries are able to finalize data in time for publication.

To download the 2021–2022 edition, visit https://cpf.ca/en/research-and-advocacy/research/enrolment-trends/.

 

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Canadian Parents for French is a nationwide, research-informed, volunteer organization that promotes and creates opportunities to learn and use French for all those who call Canada home.

For more information, please contact:

Marcos Salaiza, Communications Manager

Tel: 613.235.1481 x222 Email: msalaiza@cpf.ca