What We Heard - Focus Groups Held by the Acadian and Francophone Community Advisory Committee (AFCAC)

Background

The AFCAC is mandated to provide advice to the Minister Responsible for Acadian and Francophone Affairs regarding the priorities of the Acadian and Francophone community of PEI. To do so, the committee regularly consults the community through an online survey, which is distributed every three years. As part of the revision process for the survey, the AFCAC held three (3) focus groups in February and March 2025 with a total of 20 members of the Acadian and Francophone community. 

This report provides the key findings from these focus groups, that were shared with the Minister Responsible for Acadian and Francophone Affairs.

Methodology

Previous respondents to the 2022 survey were contacted by e-mail to participate in the focus groups. Other promotional activities included a radio interview with Radio-Canada and placing an ad in La Voix Acadienne. The focus groups were held in the Évangéline region, Summerside and Charlottetown. An online group was cancelled due to lack of participation. The semi-structured discussions aimed to gather feedback on the survey and gather new ideas for questions to ask, as well as explore other tools to consult the Acadian and Francophone community.

Key findings

Most participants agreed that a survey was the best tool to reach the most respondents. However, participants noted some considerations for the survey, such as:

• Limiting the time needed to respond to a maximum of 10-15 minutes;
• Using closed and open questions (or comment boxes);
• Providing ‘does not apply’ options.

Furthermore, participants stressed the importance of using branching to contextualize survey results based on respondent demographics, island geography or other population segments. They also suggested that focus groups could be used to further investigate and expand upon survey results.

Participants also added that the validity of the results is influenced by the number of respondents, and to that end, suggested that community groups and organizations should be involved in promoting and distributing the survey. 

Finally, most participants indicated that they felt most compelled to respond to a survey when they knew what their responses would be used for and what progress has been made since the last survey. 

Next steps

This report summarizes key findings from the focus groups held by the Acadian and Francophone Community Advisory Committee (AFCAC). These findings will be used to develop the committee’s 2025-2026 public consultations, which will include a survey and focus groups. Findings from the public consultations will be published by the Minister responsible for Acadian and Francophone Affairs.