Sense of community is essential for the integration of immigrants into a new culture or society. For French-speaking immigrants in Canada, Francophone minority communities can act as a unique space for connection, communication, and sense of belonging.
However, with British Columbia being the only province in Canada without a Provincial Official Languages Policy, the Francophone community is left in an interesting spot, speaking an official, but minority language, in one of Canada’s Anglophone provinces.
In the study, ‘The ‘in-between’ role of linguistic minority sites in immigrant integration: the Francophone community as third space in Metro Vancouver’, researchers Anne-Cécile Delaisse, Dr. Luisa Veronis and Dr. Suzanne Huot, examined the significance of using an official, but minority language (French), in an Anglophone province, as well as the Francophone minority community as a ‘third space’ for French-speaking immigrants’ immigration.
Dr. Suzanne Huot, Assistant Professor in the Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, and active member of the Centre for Migration Studies at the University of British Columbia, explained that her interest in this research stemmed from having grown up in a Francophone minority community in southwestern Ontario. She became interested in the experiences of immigrants who settle into minority communities due to the unique challenges they face already speaking an official language, but still needing to learn English in order to integrate into Canadian society.
“When I started at UBC in 2017, I noticed that there was a really big difference in my experience in a province where there was no Provincial Official Language Policy, and it’s the only province in the country that doesn’t have one,” said Huot. “I feel like the French language is much more minoritized here than it is in other provinces in the country.”
The concept of ‘third space’ is related to a sense of in-betweenness, and third spaces are often created to resist the exclusions experienced within dominant society. While bilingualism and Francophone immigration are linked to federal policies, they are not necessarily socially accepted and supported. Because of this, Francophone minority communities play an in-between role for French-speaking immigrants between their ethnocultural communities and the broader Canadian society.
Metro Vancouver has the most immigrant-rich French-speaking community in all of Canada, with just over a quarter of the French speakers in the province being born outside the country. However, the Francophone community in Metro Vancouver is largely invisible, with only about one percent of the population of British Columbia having French as their first official language spoken.
“Even though French is an official language, you can’t really go through your day-to-day life only speaking French,” said Huot. “There’s a lot of misunderstanding about who is a part of the Francophone community in Metro Vancouver, and understanding that there’s this conflation that French should only exist in Quebec, which is untrue.”
Francophone spaces in Metro Vancouver play an important role in the community, with French-speaking sites creating opportunities for people to use the language and access resources in the language outside of government services. Places such as community centres with culturally-based programming or language-based libraries act as a space where people can go and use the language from the moment they enter.
“Francophone spaces are almost like beacons in an English language sea where people can find places where they know that their language is welcomed, they can engage with others in their language, and access resources and services,” said Huot. “These spaces can also serve as a bridge between smaller cultural communities and the larger Canadian society because once you’re in these spaces, they are more reflective of the Canadian multicultural society.”
Unfortunately, a challenge that the Francophone minority community faces with regards to local immigrant settlement services is the lack of recognition of these services that are available for newcomers by mainstream organizations. For example, mainstream immigrant agencies such as Immigrant Services Society of British Columbia, S.U.C.C.E.S.S. or Mosaic, offer a broad variety of support or materials to help immigrants settle, but local Francophone immigrant settlement services may be able to offer similar supports, or even more niche materials to newcomers in French, possibly making the social and cultural integration process smoother. Researchers argue that this disconnect must be bridged in order to better support the integration of French-speaking immigrants in Canada and to grow the Francophone community.
“If people could go to local Francophone community organizations to access things in French, and then go outside to access what isn’t available, that would be ideal,” said Huot. “I think these types of organizations are a very central part of the visibility and inclusiveness of the Francophone community.”
While it is recognized that language can be a bridge for communication and connection, it’s important to acknowledge that additional work needs to be done to create a community. Differences such as ethno-racial diversity or religious diversity needs to be recognized and uplifted in order to make people feel welcomed in a community, and want to stay a part of that community.
“Just because people have a shared language doesn’t mean they share everything else,” said Huot. “There’s a need to find ways to keep people engaged because there’s a tendency for people that once they learn English, they’ll assimilate to the broader community and not continue participating in the Francophone community. Making sure that people’s needs are sufficiently met and that they have an interest in continuing to participate is how these communities grow.”
To access the research article, click here. To learn more about UBC’s Centre of Migration Studies, click here.
Written by Kelsea Franzke