Statement from Minister responsible for the French Language Services Directorate John Streicker on the next strategic framework for French-language services

Minister responsible for the French Language Services Directorate John Streicker has issued the following statement:

“Our government is dedicated to increasing access to French-language services and information. Today we launched a public engagement to inform our next strategic framework for French-language services, which will help prioritize our actions for the next two years. It will build on the successes of the previous framework and guide our investments to best serve the growing Yukon Francophone community.

Our $28-million agreement on French-Language services with the government of Canada for 2021–22 to 2024–25 has been instrumental in improving our online and in-person services. It allows the French Language Services Directorate to provide more than $3 million annually to support French-language services across the government and $350,000 to support French-language services in the Yukon’s three hospitals.

Over the last few years, we increased our bilingual emergency communications responsiveness, deployed a new live video interpretation service, and have just opened the Centre de santé Constellation Health Centre, which will also provide increased access to health care services for all Yukoners.

This public engagement concerning the strategic framework is crucial to help us plan our next steps and focus our efforts where it matters most. I firmly believe that improving French-language services benefits all Yukoners. I look forward to engaging in a meaningful conversation with the public and Francophone stakeholders in the coming weeks.”