Defining official language minority businesses

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Release date: July 21, 2022
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Infographic: Defining official language minority businesses
Description: Defining official language minority businesses

In Canada, official language minorities (OLMs) are English-language communities in Quebec and French-language communities outside Quebec.

Members of OLMs participate in the economy in a variety of ways, including as business owners. Their businesses contribute to both the vitality of official language minority communities and to the Canadian economy in general.

How are official language minority businesses defined?

Two factors can be considered:

  • Which owners are members of official language minorities?
    • Which language variable should be used?
  • What type of ownership should be considered?
    • Is it enough for a business to have one OLM owner, or does it take a majority of OLM owners?

The number of official language minority businesses in Canada varies depending on the definitions used (2017)


Number and percentage of OLM businesses, by definition
Table summary
This table displays the results of Number and percentage of OLM businesses Language variable, Type of business ownership, At least one owner is an OLM member and At least 50% of the business owned by OLM members, calculated using Number of businesses and Percentage of businesses units of measure (appearing as column headers).
Language variable Type of business ownership
At least one owner is an OLM member At least 50% of the business owned by OLM members
Number of businesses Percentage of businesses Number of businesses Percentage of businesses
Quebec Language spoken most often at home 66,220 16.7 56,920 14.3
First official language spoken 80,370 20.2 70,740 17.8
Mother tongue 43,520 11 35,020 8.8
Canada outside Quebec Language spoken most often at home 32,960 2.2 28,630 1.9
First official language spoken 64,500 4.3 53,020 3.5
Mother tongue 62,920 4.2 51,280 3.4

Owners of official language minority businesses are not necessarily members of those minorities themselves


OLM status of owners and businesses, by definition
Table summary
This table displays the results of OLM status of owners and businesses. The information is grouped by Type of owner (appearing as row headers), Language variable and Type of business ownership, calculated using At least one owner is an OLM member and At least 50% of the business owned by OLM members units of measure (appearing as column headers).
Type of owner Language variable Type of business ownership
At least one owner is an OLM member At least 50% of the business owned by OLM members
OLM owners of OLM businesses Language spoken most often at home 88,180 85,230
First official language spoken 128,410 122,740
Mother tongue 90,900 84,500
Non-OLM owners of OLM businesses Language spoken most often at home 24,510 10,250
First official language spoken 46,140 22,200
Mother tongue 45,070 20,470
OLM owners of non-OLM businesses Language spoken most often at home Note ...: not applicable 10,530
First official language spoken Note ...: not applicable 15,550
Mother tongue Note ...: not applicable 14,280

The choice of definition affects certain characteristics of OLM owners and businesses, such as the percentage of owners who are immigrants


Proportion of immigrant business owners among all business owners, by definition
Table summary
This table displays the results of Proportion of immigrant business owners among all business owners Type of business ownership, Language variable and Immigrant owners (appearing as column headers).
Type of business ownership Language variable Immigrant owners
OLM business owners At least one owner is an OLM member Language spoken most often at home 13% 15,040
First official language spoken 24% 39,100
Mother tongue 7% 10,440
At least 50% of the business owned by OLM members Language spoken most often at home 13% 12,690
First official language spoken 25% 34,430
Mother tongue 7% 7,300
All businesses (OLM and non-OLM) 22% 457,020

Notes:

  • All data in this infographic are for 2017.
  • A business’s geographic location corresponds to the location of its head office.

Source: Statistics Canada, 2016 Census and Canadian Employer–Employee Database linkage.

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Copyright

Published by authority of the Minister responsible for Statistics Canada.

© His Majesty the King in Right of Canada, as represented by the Minister of Industry, 2022

Use of this publication is governed by the Statistics Canada Open Licence Agreement.

Catalogue no. 11-627-M

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