Minister Kenney issues statement to recognize Nowruz

Ottawa, March 20, 2014 — Canada’s Citizenship and Immigration Minister Chris Alexander issued the following statement to mark the Journée internationale de la Francophonie:

“Today, more than 9.5 million Canadians speak French in our country.

“The French language is part of our national heritage and is a great source of pride for Canadians.

“Every year, we work with our partners to promote Francophone immigration across the country and to assist Francophone immigrants in minority communities to integrate into Canadian society.

“Although there over 950,000 Francophones living outside Quebec, we are always working to increase this number in order to maintain the vitality of these communities and to ensure that they continue to prosper. We are also working hard to promote Francophone immigration throughout Canada.

“I join all Canadians and Francophone communities around the world in celebrating this Francophonie Day.”

For further information (media only), please contact:

Alexis Pavlich

Ministers Office

Citizenship and Immigration Canada

613-954-1064

Media Relations

Communications Branch

Citizenship and Immigration Canada

613-952-1650
CIC-Media-Relations@cic.gc.ca

Building a stronger Canada: Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) strengthens Canada’s economic, social and cultural prosperity, helping ensure Canadian safety and security while managing one of the largest and most generous immigration programs in the world.