Francophone Discoveries Communities

Northwest Territories

Features

The Northwest Territories (N.W.T.) has a widely diverse and multicultural population with 11 recognized official languages: English, French and nine Indigenous languages. According to the 2021 census, the Franco-Ténois (Francophones in the N.W.T.) make up approximately 3.1% of the population for a total of some 1,270 people. Most of them call the Yellowknife area home, while the others live in Fort Smith, Inuvik and Hay River.

Organization representing the Francophone population

As the leading member of the network of Francophone and Francophile communities and associations, the Fédération franco-ténoise (FFT) is recognized as the preferred partner of the municipal, territorial and federal governments with respect to political representation and protecting the rights of the Northwest Territories’ Francophone communities. The FFT’s mission is to promote, encourage and defend French-Canadian cultural, political, social and community life in the Northwest Territories in order to enhance the vitality of its Francophone communities. To that end, the FFT provides political representation, consultation, promotion, and development support to these communities, in collaboration with its members and partners.

Immigration

Considered the reference for newcomers, the Intercultural Centre NWT offers real support to newcomers for their settlement and integration into the community, in Canada’s two official languages.

The Réseau en immigration francophone des Territoires du Nord-Ouest brings together all the resources and expertise of a variety of stakeholders and sectors for immigrants, their families and their host community.

The Communauté francophone accueillante de Yellowknife supports community partnerships and initiatives to raise awareness, create an environment in which newcomers will feel welcome, build ties between newcomers and the Francophone community, elicit a response adapted to the needs of French-speaking newcomers, integrate immigrants into Francophone communities and ensure that they want to remain there.

In addition, the Conseil de développement économique des Territoires du Nord-Ouest offers economic integration services for newcomers.

Tourism

The N.W.T. is a popular tourist destination for nature lovers from around the world. It has thousands of hectares of forest and tundra that are sure to bring out the outdoor enthusiast in you, whether you’re exploring by canoe, kayak, cross‑country skis or simply camera in hand! In fact, there are 1,144,000 square kilometres of incredible sights just waiting to be explored.

Discover 33 points of interest in Old Yellowknife with an audio guide and photos in the Balado Discovery, a downloadable bilingual application that works both online and offline.

For more details, visit Salut Canada.

Education

In the N.W.T., the Commission scolaire francophone des Territoires du Nord-Ouest operates two French-language schools for children from kindergarten through Grade 12. Four English-language school boards also offer French immersion programs.

Students can also pursue post-secondary studies at the Collège nordique francophone, the only educational institution north of the 60th parallel that offers linguistic and professional training in French.