Learn about the government’s plan to improve the provision of French-language services in Ontario.
This page was published when we launched the French Language Services Strategy in November 2021.
Read about the progress we’ve made to strengthen French language services in Ontario since its launch.
For more than 400 years, Francophones in Ontario have contributed to the social, cultural, political and economic development of the province.
Ontario’s 622,415 Franco-Ontarians are part of Ontario’s 1.5 million French-speakers and make up the largest Canadian French-speaking population outside of Québec. And this population continues to grow and to change.
Through consultations and dialogue with key stakeholders and the Francophone community, we heard that Francophones still face barriers when accessing services in French. As part of our approach to addressing this important issue of access, we are committed to modernizing the legislative framework of the French Language Services Act and strengthening accountability for the timely delivery of quality French-language services in Ontario.
While a modernization of the French Language Services Act is important, this measure alone is not sufficient to improve access to French-language services in a variety of areas. A comprehensive French Language Services Strategy has, therefore, been developed with a focus on increasing Francophone and bilingual workforce capacity and leveraging effective and innovative service delivery models to expand access to French-language services.
Public consultations formed a significant basis for the development of the French Language Services Strategy. A six-week public consultation was launched by the Government of Ontario in June 2021. The consultations helped identify key challenges faced by Francophones when accessing critical front-line services, as well as potential solutions to improve the availability of services.
The consultation program included a province-wide online public questionnaire, virtual regional stakeholder roundtables and targeted discussions with provincial stakeholder organizations.
The Ontario government plans to implement a coordinated, cross-government French Language Services Strategy over three years to strengthen service planning, capacity and delivery.
This includes proposing amendments to modernize the legislative framework governing the delivery of French-language services in Ontario to better reflect the 21 st century needs of Francophones.
It also explores expanding Ontario’s supply of qualified French-speaking professionals, particularly for essential service sectors experiencing shortages, such as health, education, justice, social services and direct government services. The strategy aims to look at ways to expand services to underserved areas through a variety of effective service delivery models.
The strategy will focus on the following six main elements.
Improve the quality of and access to French-language services, bolstered by proposing strengthened legislative obligations for government and agencies.
Improve administrative and proposed legislative obligations for government and agencies, as well as enhanced accountability processes.
Propose modernizing the legislative framework and approaches to service delivery to better respond to Francophones’ needs.
Reduce burden, increase communication and create new tools to support French-language service providers designated under the French Language Services Act.
Increase the promotion of services in French and of designations under the French Language Services Act.
Build up the Francophone and bilingual workforce to support all other outcomes.
The French Language Services Strategy is built on the following three pillars:
The outcomes of the French Language Services Strategy will be:
Ontario’s legislative framework for the delivery of French-language services is comprised of the French Language Services Act and its four regulations. It has not been substantially reviewed since 1986.
Together, the Act and its regulations set out legal obligations for the delivery of services in French for ministries, their agencies, designated agencies under the Act, and third-party service providers delivering services on behalf of government.
French language service obligations apply to service points located in the 26 designated areas under the Act, as well as head offices.
Active offer
Active offer means that French-language services to be delivered by Ontario government ministries and agencies are not only available but also brought to the attention of the client upon first contact, that is, by taking any measures prescribed for that purpose under the Act.
Watch this video which provides examples of active offer implementation and explains the 9 measures included in the regulation.
If passed, the modernized French Language Services Act would also provide for new regulation-making authority to better clarify how, when and where French-language services are offered. These new regulations would come into force at a later date, subject to the passage of the amendments, and could provide for:
The Ministry of Francophone affairs will update two existing regulations:
A modernized legal framework is essential to modernizing the delivery of, and access to, French-language services. The quality of these services depends greatly on the availability of a workforce able to deliver services in French.
The second pillar focuses on:
The third pillar emphasizes a cross-government approach to French-language services planning and delivery, by focusing on:
The French Language Services Strategy will be implemented through the concerted work of the Ministry of Francophone Affairs and its partner ministries.
As work progresses within each of the strategic pillars, engagement with a range of stakeholders will continue, to ensure that policies and initiatives are responsive to the needs of Francophones across the province.
Since the launch of the Strategy, the government has strengthened the legislative framework for French language services in Ontario.
In December 2021, we adopted the modernized French Language Services Act.
For more information on the progress implementing the French Language Services Strategy, read the Minister of Francophone Affairs' annual reports:
This comprehensive French Language Services Strategy aims to positively impact Ontario’s Francophone population in all of its diversity and to support the Ontario government’s vision of making government services more accessible.
This Strategy aligns with the province’s Francophone Economic Development Strategy that aims to increase the supply of francophone and bilingual workers to further build Ontario’s economic competitive advantage.
Ultimately, this Strategy seeks to not only strengthen francophone communities throughout the province, but also support the province’s long-term economic growth and its visibility at the national and international levels.