The federal government unveiled its action plan on official languages Wednesday, funded with an extra $500 million over five years that will go toward a host of services for minority-language communities across the country. Canada's plan is a signal the federal government is serious about defending the country's two official languages, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Heritage Minister Melanie Joly said during the announcement. Three main plan pillarsThe government's plan is three-fold: reinforce minority-language communities; offer better access to French-language services outside Quebec; and promote bilingualism. "It's not a secret that the French language outside Quebec has regressed over the past few years," Trudeau said to a friendly crowd of francophone community workers in Ottawa. He accused the prior Conservative government of underfinancing official languages programs and of not making the country's bilingual character a priority.

Source: CBC News March 28, 2018 14:45 UTC