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By rdnewsNOW Staff

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Gov’t of Alberta to expand services accessible in French around the province

Dec 17, 2024 | 5:23 PM

Thanks to a partnership between the provincial and federal governments, French-based services around Alberta are about to get a boost.

The newly negotiated Canada-Alberta Agreement on French-Language Services will see a funding increase of more than 200 per cent for services in French, from $650,000 per year to more than $2 million per year over five years, the parties announced Monday.

Examples of where changes will be seen include:

• Various career and employment services, including Parallèle Alberta, that delivers services, to residents in Edmonton, Red Deer, Cold Lake, Lac La Biche, Bonnyville, Plamondon and St. Paul.
• Real-time interpretation at court counters, in courtrooms and at Alberta Health Services facilities through the Language Line.
• Most registry agents offer all standard driver training and driver’s knowledge tests in French.
• Various French resources are available through 211.
• For more examples, visit French services directory | Alberta.ca

“Alberta’s government is proud to support the French language within the province, and we are very proud to have secured a fair funding agreement with Ottawa that will help support French services across the province, on top of the millions already invested across government for French language services,” says Tanya Fir, minister of arts, culture and status of women.

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The funding will help the province complete its more than 100 strategic actions set out in Alberta’s French Policy Action Plan.

It will have a major impact on French in early childhood, education, health, justice and many other areas, officials say.

“No Canadian should encounter barriers to accessing government services and programs in one of Canada’s official language,” says Ginette Petitpas Taylor, minister of employment, workforce development and official languages.

“This will help Albertans access essential provincial services in the language of their choice.”

Goals of the French Policy Action Plan include, but are not limited to, the translation of government service materials to increasing community supports and help with heritage preservation

More than 290 pages on the government website are now available in French, an increase of nearly 50 per cent from 2021 to 2024, and the Provincial Archives of Alberta has an additional French-speaking archives technician to help preserve Alberta’s francophone history and heritage, the province notes.

Per the Government of Alberta, Statistics Canada projects Alberta to lead the country in the growth of the French-speaking population, with an increase between 25 and 50 per cent by 2036.