Publications
Portrait of Official-Language Minorities in Canada: Francophones in Ontario
- 89-642-X
- Main page
- Introduction
- Section 1 Definitions of Ontario's French-speaking population
- Section 2 Evolution of the population by mother tongue and first official language spoken
- Section 3 Factors influencing the evolution of the population with French as a mother tongue
- Section 4 A few key sectors for the vitality of official-language minority communities
- Section 5 Subjective vitality
- Conclusion
- Tables, charts and maps
- Appendix
- More information
- Erratum
- PDF version
- Other issues in this series
Section 4 A few key sectors for the vitality of official-language minority communities
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4.1 Health
4.2 Justice
4.3 Education
4.4 Media, arts and culture
4.5 Community life
4.6 Employment and income characteristics
The Roadmap for Canada's Linguistic Duality 2008-2013 invests in key sectors, including the following five: health, justice, arts and culture, economic development and immigration. The last of these sectors was briefly discussed in a previous section and was dealt with in an analytical report released by Statistics Canada in April 2010. This section will present statistics on the other four key sectors identified in the Roadmap. Also, the Roadmap includes financial support for education in the minority language. This sector was identified as being of great importance for the future of official-language minorities in Canada;1 therefore, a section will be devoted to it.
Drawing on data from the Survey on the Vitality of Official-Language Minorities (SVOLM) and the census, we will provide information on the presence of French and the situation of Francophones in each of these sectors.
4.1 Health
A common language between patients and health care professionals is one of the key elements of access to health care services and the effectiveness of the services provided. Language barriers can mean that some members of minority Francophone communities are less well served by health care services. From this perspective, it is important to examine the situation of Ontario's Francophone communities regarding various aspects of access to health care services.
In the 2006 Census, 23% of doctors working in Ontario, or 3,495, reported being able to conduct a conversation in French, while 7% reported using French at least regularly2 in their work.3 For nurses, the number is 11,698, and corresponding proportions are 12% and 7% respectively.
The proportion of health care professionals who can conduct a conversation in French and, to a lesser extent, the proportion of those who use that language at least regularly, is much higher than the relative share of Francophones in Ontario. Nevertheless, the Survey on the Vitality of Official-Language Minorities results show that the majority of Ontario Francophones report using English when consulting the different health care professionals about whom information was collected in that survey, namely family doctors, nurses, telephone health line or telehealth service professionals and professionals in other places that people go to in order to obtain care. Table 4.1 shows the languages used with health care professionals.
As the table shows, English is prevalent in interactions with these health care professionals, in all regions of Ontario except the South-East, where French appears to predominate.
Lack of knowledge of French by health care professionals, as perceived by the respondents, is the main reason cited by Francophones to explain why they are not served in that language during their visits/consultations. Also, a sizable proportion of Francophones—between 13% and 35%, depending on the professional consulted—reported being more at ease in the majority language. This has a major influence on the main language used in interactions.
Overall, the results of the SVOLM and the census clearly show that the proportion of Francophones in a municipality of residence, the availability of professionals with knowledge of French and the main language of those requesting service are three important factors that affect the extent of use of one language or the other with health care professionals.
While the South-East region stands out from the other regions of Ontario, this is mainly due to the strong representation of Francophones living there: slightly more than 60% of Francophones in that region live in a municipality where their language group's relative share is at least 50%. Thus, as described in the section on use of languages in the public sphere, the greater the proportion of Francophones in a given region, the more extensive the presence of French in the public sphere and consequently, the greater the opportunities for using it in daily activities.
Apart from how the proportion of Francophones in a given region influences the use of French with health care professionals, the availability of such professionals able to conduct a conversation in that language is obviously an important factor to consider. According to statistics from the 2006 Census, the Ottawa and South-East regions have the highest proportions of doctors (42% and 40% respectively) and nurses (44% and 58% respectively) who can conduct a conversation in French.4 These two regions also have the largest proportions of Francophones who report communicating in French with health care professionals. The presence of Francophone professionals as well as professionals able to conduct a conversation in the minority language is not only likely to increase the accessibility of health care services in that language, but it can also be conducive to a stronger presence and more widespread use of that language in this key sector of the public sphere.
In light of these results, it is also important to examine whether Francophones who report having French as their main language were more likely to use French in their interactions with health care professionals than those with English as their main language. It seems clear that the lack of use of the minority official language by Francophones for whom French is the main language—that is, the language in which they are most at ease—does not depend on the same factors as in the case of Francophones who have made a language shift with the result that English is now the language in which they feel most at ease.
In general, the results of the SVOLM show that Francophones whose main language is French are proportionally more likely to be served in French when they go to different health care professionals than Francophones who have English as their main language. For example, 55% of the former reported using French during interactions with their regular medical doctor compared to 9% of the latter.
Information drawn from the SVOLM clearly shows that for Francophones, obtaining health care services in the language of their choice does not necessarily mean obtaining services in French. For the 35% of Ontario Francophones who have English as their main language, it would not be surprising if French were not their "language of choice" for obtaining health care services.
4.2 Justice
An examination of the Survey on the Vitality of Official-Language Minorities results concerning the justice field also sheds light on the extent to which French is present in institutions that ensure its use in the public sphere and consequently bolster its status. By measuring access to French-speaking professionals in this field and to those who are able to converse in French, it is possible to document a phenomenon perceived as being vitally important to the future of Francophone minority communities. With regard to this, the Canadian government, in the Roadmap for Canada's Linguistic Duality 2008-2013, undertook to ensure that Canadians will have better access to justice services in the minority official language.
In Ontario, the Survey on the Vitality of Official-Language Minorities results show that access to these services in French appears to be valued by Francophones in that 50% feel that if they had to use the services of a lawyer, it would be "very important" or "important" for the lawyer to be able to speak French. Also, approximately 70% of French-speaking adults reported that they would feel at ease speaking French if they were dealing with the police.
It should be noted that interactions with justice system and its representatives, including lawyers and the police, are not widespread in the population. Of Ontario's 440,110 adult Francophones, 30% reported that they had used the services of a lawyer, while less than one Francophone in five had dealt with the police, either to obtain services or because of an offence: 17% had had contact with the municipal police, 10% with the provincial police and 2% with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).
Because the language barrier can hinder access to justice, the Canadian government has made it a priority to train professionals who can provide service in the minority official language. According to the 2006 Census, Ontario had 9,500 lawyers or notaries able to conduct a conversation in French, representing 30% of all lawyers in the province. As to Ontario police officers, 16% reported that they were able to conduct a conversation in French. Of course, on this score, regional differences are observed, with the South-East and Ottawa regions having the largest proportions of lawyers and police officers able to conduct a conversation in French.
In addition to these statistics on availability or the potential pool of justice system professionals who are able to use French when interacting with Ontario Francophones, tables 4.2.1 and 4.2.2 show the knowledge of French by professionals and the use of this language in their work.
Table 4.2.2 Knowledge and use of the minority language by lawyers, Ontario and regions, 2006
In the 2006 Census, less than 10% of Ontario lawyers reported using French on a regular basis at work. The proportion is less than 5% in regions with small proportions of Francophones, namely the Toronto region and the Rest of Ontario. The same is true for police officers: In each region of Ontario, the rate of use of French at work is lower than the proportion of police officers who are able to conduct a conversation in French.5
Interestingly, census data show that the number of lawyers and police officers who use French in their work in Ontario is greater than the number of Francophone lawyers and police officers. Thus, a sizable number of non-Francophones reported using French as a language of work, which suggests that there is a potential pool of professionals likely or able to provide services in French.
This said, the Survey on the Vitality of Official-Language Minorities results show that Francophones' interactions with both municipal and provincial police6 generally take place in English, even in the South-East and Ottawa regions, where French is generally more present (see charts 4.2.1 to 4.2.3). Thus, 10% of Francophones used only or mainly French in their interactions with the municipal police and 26% with the provincial police. The same patterns are observed with respect to use of a lawyer's services.
Although English is the predominant language in interactions with professionals in the justice system, there is nevertheless a link between the proportion of French-speaking persons in the municipality of residence and the use of French with police officers and lawyers. Thus, the South-East region has the largest proportions of French being used with the municipal police (18%), the provincial police (35%) and lawyers (85%).
Chart 4.2.1 Proportion of Francophones by language used with municipal police, Ontario, 2006
Chart 4.2.2 Proportion of Francophones by language used with provincial police, Ontario, 2006
Chart 4.2.3 Proportion of Francophones by language used with lawyer, Ontario and regions, 2006
4.3 Education
4.3.1 Children
Access to French-language schools and management of the educational systems of the Francophone minority have long been burning issues for Francophones outside Quebec. Ontario in particular has been marked by struggles to guarantee education at all levels, from preschool to post-secondary, and to obtain the management of these schools. In many provinces excluding Quebec, the education of Francophones in their own language was greatly limited by the fact that most French schools received no government funding, until the early 1970s.7 Owing to the efforts of various boards and committees, French-language secondary schools began to emerge in 1969.
In a minority situation, French schools are assigned special status because of their role as an agent of socialization to French culture, transmission of the French language to children and maintenance of skills in that language. School is a public Francophone environment which, along with the family, can contribute to the development and blossoming of Francophone community life.
It is therefore important to be able to measure the extent to which French-language schools are attended by children eligible to attend them, along with the factors that influence decisions concerning children's language of instruction. The Survey on the Vitality of Official-Language Minorities data shed light on this particular aspect of the school situation of children of Francophone parents in Ontario, since they can be used to estimate the number of children eligible for education in French who attend a French-language school or who are enrolled in an immersion program. Additionally, these data can be used to examine the link between attending a French-language school and the use of languages, in particular at home and with friends.
In Ontario, of the 128,620 children of Francophone parents enrolled in school at the time of the survey, approximately 57% were attending a French-language elementary or secondary school (chart 4.3.1). When the 11% enrolled in an immersion program in an English-language school are included, it can be estimated that approximately 68% of children of Francophone parents in Ontario receive an education in French.
The regional variations seen in this chart clearly show how these regions' particular demolinguistic characteristics likely influence the choice of the language of instruction for the children of Francophone parents. These characteristics include the proportion of Francophones in the municipality of residence and the parents' main language, both of which are important factors both in transmitting the French language to children and in choosing the language of instruction. For example, Toronto and the Rest of Ontario, when compared to the other regions of the province, have weak concentrations of Francophones and lower proportions of Francophones whose main language is French. Chart 4.3.1 also shows that these two regions have the lowest proportions of children enrolled in a French-language school, at 45% and 38% respectively.
The Survey on the Vitality of Official-Language Minorities also highlights the fact that attending a French-language school appears to be a more popular choice for the parents of the youngest children. The results suggest that there may be some abandonment of French school in favour of English school in the transition between elementary school and secondary school.
The results shown in table 4.3.1 thus reveal that the proportions of children enrolled in a French-language elementary school (60%) are higher than for children enrolled in a French secondary school (51%), in all regions of the province. For children who have previously attended a French-language school, the quality of the program is the main reason cited by parents to justify this change from one school system to the other.
Apart from the environmental characteristics mentioned above, other factors influence the choice of the language of the school attended by the child. In particular, the linguistic path of the parents in their own educational trajectory appears to have some influence on the choice of their children's language of instruction or school system. Thus, of the 114,680 children whose parents had their elementary and secondary education in French, approximately 68% were currently attending a French-language school and approximately 67% spoke French most often (46%) or on a regular basis (21%) at home. Also, 89% of children living with an endogamous couple with both parents having French as their mother tongue attended a French-language school, compared to 42% of children of French-English exogamous couples.
Finally, the Survey on the Vitality of Official-Language Minorities results point to a strong correlation between children's school attendance in French and various language behaviours. Children who attend a French-language school are more likely to use French at home8 (75% compared to 12% of children in immersion), to speak French with their friends (77% compared to 19% of children in immersion) and to be able to conduct a conversation (99% compared to 72% of children in immersion).
4.3.2 Adults
4.3.2.1 Highest level of schooling
The highest level of schooling of Ontario Francophones in 2006 is an important indicator of the progress made since the 1971 Census, which was conducted shortly after the Dunton-Laurendeau Royal Commission completed its work. Based on statistics from the 1961 Census, the Commission's work described disparities observed between Francophones and Anglophones in Canada, with respect to education as well at to labour market status and various spheres of economic activity.
Notably because of compulsory education to age 169 and the growing importance assigned to education by governments, employers and the general public, the disparities between Francophones and Anglophones have greatly diminished over time.
To illustrate the phenomenon, we will first examine the results shown in chart 4.3.2.1, which concerns the situation observed in 2006. As the chart shows, 24% of the Franco-Ontarian population had no certificate, diploma or degree, compared to 21% of the Anglophone population. The gap observed between the two language groups basically reflects the fact that Anglophones are proportionally more likely to have completed secondary school than their Francophone counterparts. Statistics on diplomas, certificates or degrees obtained at the post-secondary level show that gaps between the groups are very small or non-existent, indicating that much catching-up has occurred.
The findings that emerge from a reading of the above chart cover the overall population aged 15 and over, and they therefore reflect both the present and the past educational situation of the language groups.
Once again, chart 4.3.2.2 clearly illustrates this point when we look at selected sub-populations defined by their age group. Focusing our attention on the 65 or over age group, we see that Francophones and Anglophones differ considerably in the proportions of persons having no diploma, certificate or degree. In this age group, one Francophone in two is in this situation, compared to 38% of Anglophones. At the other end of the spectrum, more than 11% of Anglophones have a university certificate, diploma or degree at or above the bachelor's level.
A sign of how trends in education level are evolving is that the situation observed for 25 to 34-year-olds is the opposite. In this age group, there are proportionally more Anglophones (9%) than Francophones (7%) who have no diploma, while as regards the proportions of university graduates, Francophones (34%) are slightly more likely to have a university diploma than Anglophones (33%). For persons aged 35 to 54, fairly similar results are observed, although there is a slightly larger proportion of university graduates among Anglophones and a slightly larger proportion of Francophones having no diploma.
An examination of the educational status of young adults must take an important factor into account, namely Francophones' place of birth. For example, among both Anglophones and Francophones, immigrants are known to be more likely to have a university diploma, one reason being that education level is one of the selection criteria for immigrants to Canada. In 2006, among Francophones aged 25 to 34, 54% of those born outside Canada had a university diploma, compared to 40% of those born in another province (in more than 80% of cases, in Quebec) while 26% of Francophones born in Ontario had such a diploma (see chart 4.3.2.3). At lower education levels, the corollary of this situation is observed, namely, Francophones born in Ontario were much more likely than other Franco-Ontarians to have a high school or college diploma as their highest education level.
One of the greatest changes resulting from the profound social transformations and educational reforms of the 1960s is undeniably the entry of large numbers of women into post-secondary educational institutions, especially universities. In 1971, the proportion of women holding a university degree was two to three times smaller than the proportion of men, depending on the age group. In 2006, among Ontario Francophones, the data show that for persons aged 65 and over, that is, those who were at least 30 years of age in 1971, the proportion of women holding a university diploma is 7%, compared to just under 12% for men in this age group (see table 4.3.2.1). By contrast, among 20 to 24-year-olds, the proportion holding such a diploma is only 9% for men whereas it is nearly 18% for women. In short, women under 45 years of age are proportionally more likely to have a university diploma or degree than their male counterparts, whereas the latter are proportionally more likely to have low education or to have a vocational or trade school diploma.
The propensity to be highly educated or less educated usually varies depending on whether individuals live in large urban centres or rural areas. For example, universities are generally located in large urban centres, as are employers who are likely to hire numerous university graduates.
Among Ontario Francophones in 2006, Toronto had the largest proportion of university graduates, namely 41%, while Ottawa had more than 28% (chart 4.3.2.4). The North-East of the province had the lowest proportion of university graduates at 8% of the population. Conversely, in the North-East and South-East of the province, the proportions of the population with no certificate, diploma or degree were sizable at 34% and 29% respectively.
4.3.2.2 Adults' language of instruction
The Survey on the Vitality of Official-Language Minorities results showed that in Ontario overall, 60% of children with at least one French-speaking parent attended a French-language elementary school, while 13% were in a French immersion program. At the secondary level, the corresponding proportions were respectively 51% and 11%. What about the language of instruction of adults who responded to the SVOLM? In responses to the various survey questions concerning the language in which respondents pursued part or all of their education in French, a decrease in the presence of French is observed from one age group to the next and from one education level to the next.
Thus, as table 4.3.2.2 shows, the proportion of adults who pursued all of their education in French is relatively high at the elementary level, ranging around 80% for those under 65 years of age, whereas it declines as the education level rises. Also, a major gap is observed between adults under age 45 and those 45 or over as regards attendance at a secondary school in French. This result must be interpreted in light of the fact that French-language secondary schools started coming into existence starting in 1969 in Ontario, at a time when those who are now 25 to 44 years of age had an opportunity to attend such schools.
The table also shows that the proportion of adults who attended a university program exclusively in French is nearly the same from one age group to another, namely 37%, except for the 25 to 44 years age group, whose members are more likely to have had their university education in French (42%). Survey on the Vitality of Official-Language Minorities data (not presented here) reveal that Ontario Francophones born in another Canadian province, primarily Quebec, are more likely to have had their post-secondary education in French. Among persons aged 45 or over, a larger proportion of those born in Quebec had their university education exclusively in French, while those born in Ontario are more likely to have had only part of that education in French.
4.4 Media, arts and culture
Support for the arts and culture is one of the key elements targeted by the Roadmap for Canada's Linguistic Duality, which recognizes the essential role that the arts and culture play in the development of official-language minority communities.
The Survey on the Vitality of Official-Language Minorities targets six media for measuring access to cultural products in the minority language: television; the Internet; radio; newspapers; books; and live performances and arts events. These days, the Internet and cable television facilitate access to these media in various languages and from many countries, thereby increasing the availability of these various French-language cultural products throughout Canada.
The Survey on the Vitality of Official-Language Minorities results show that Ontario Francophones, like their Anglophone counterparts (data not shown) are big consumers of the various media, led by television (see table 4.4.1).
However, access to French-language media is not the only factor that influences consumption in the minority language. The results show that despite today's technology, which facilitates access to French-language media, English predominates in the consumption of media. A majority of Ontario Francophones are more inclined to report that they watch television or listen to radio, read books and newspapers and access the Internet "only" or "mainly" in English. The media with the highest proportions of consumption "only" or "mainly" in French are books (19%) and the radio (19%) (see Table 4.4.2).
These results suggest that it is not merely a matter of availability. While approximately 41% of Ontario Francophones reported that it is "easy" or "very easy" to obtain newspapers in French in their municipality, most newspaper reading (70%) takes place in English. The same is true for the availability and reading of books. In general, Francophones are more likely to report good availability or easy access to a given medium in French than to report using that medium in French.
It should be noted that as regards the presentation of live performances and arts events in the two regions where the proportions of Francophones are the lowest, namely Toronto and the Rest of Ontario, the opposite situation is observed. There, Francophones are proportionally more likely to have attended a live performance or arts event in French in the last twelve months than to have reported that there are "always" or "often" live performances or arts events in French.
There therefore appears to be substantial support for the arts and live performances in regions were these events are less frequent. For example, in the region identified as the Rest of the province, 4% of Francophones reported that there are "always" or "often" live performances or arts events in their region, compared to 14% who reported having attended them. In the other regions and for the other media, the situation is reversed: participation in events is lower than the reported frequency.
The Survey on the Vitality of Official-Language Minorities results show once again that the region and the main language are important factors for explaining the choice of the language of consumption. Given the strong correlation between these two factors, it is not surprising to see that Francophones who live in regions with a higher concentration of Francophones, such as the Ottawa region or the South-East, are more inclined to report that their consumption of various media takes place "only" or "mainly" in French. For example, while 19% of Francophones in Ontario read books "only" or "mainly" in French, this proportion rises to 36% for Francophones whose main language is French and 49% for Francophones in the South-East region who have French as their main language. The same pattern is observed in each of the regions for which data has been gathered for the SVOLM.
4.5 Community life
Individuals' involvement in their community and participation in community activities are generally recognized as dimensions of life in society that contribute to the creation and maintenance of social support networks. Also, "social capital (broadly defined as participation in social networks) is increasingly being understood as a key component of community development or a key aspect of the 'capacity' of a community to develop."10
The Survey on the Vitality of Official-Language Minorities data lend themselves to measuring several dimensions of Francophones' participation in community life. The statistics on participation in volunteer activities, membership in community organizations and informal caregiving can be used to examine the extent to which Francophones are engaged, through such forms of involvement, in the life of their community.
The Survey on the Vitality of Official-Language Minorities results show that approximately one-quarter of Ontario Francophones participate in one of the activities on which data were collected in this survey. More specifically, 24% of Francophone adults reported that they had been a member of an organization, network or association in the twelve months preceding the survey, while 26% reported doing volunteer work and 28% had provided unpaid assistance with everyday activities to someone not living in their household. Approximately 6% of Francophones reported participating in all three types of activities.
A number of sociodemographic and economic factors influence community participation, including age, education level, community of residence, socioeconomic status, etc. However, to analyse these factors would go beyond the objective of this document.
The type of community activities in which Francophones are involved varies little from one region to another. Their level of participation in these activities is nearly the same in all regions of Ontario. However, the language in which these activities take place varies, particularly according to the type of activity and the region. For example, the SVOLM results show once again that it is in regions where Francophones are more concentrated that French is most widely used in community activities. Accordingly, the South-East of the province has the largest proportions of Francophones using French when participating in community activities.
As regards the type of activity, French is used "only or mainly" by 52% of Francophones who assist with everyday activities, compared to 34% who use it in volunteer activities. It is worth noting that children and other family members (50%) and friends (27%) are more often the beneficiaries of assistance with daily activities. Indeed, family and friends appear to be quite important in the networks of Ontario Francophones. For example, in case of illness, 49% report that they would turn to the other members of their family for support, while 23% would turn to their children. The use of French in social support activities therefore seems to be mainly associated with the private sphere.
The Survey on the Vitality of Official-Language Minorities reveals that 81% of Francophones report that it is "very important" or "important" to them that individuals or organization work at the development of the Francophone community. In this regard, variations are again observed by region and by the proportion and concentration of Francophones within the municipality of residence. In regions with a larger proportion of Francophones, a larger percentage of respondents report that they consider it "very important" or "important" that individuals or organizations work at the development of the Francophone community. For example, the percentages are lower in Toronto and the "Rest" of the province, both regions with lower proportions and concentrations of Francophones. Thus, the percentages vary from 73% in municipalities with less than 10% of Francophones to 93% in municipalities where their relative weight is 70% or more.
The same phenomenon is observed with respect to the concentration of Francophones within their municipality. The higher this concentration, the larger the proportion of those who consider it to be "very important or "important" that someone work at the development of the Francophone community. In municipalities with a low concentration, the proportion is 73%; in those with a medium concentration, 83%; and in those with a high concentration, 88%.
While 81% of Francophones report that it is "very important" or "important" to them that individuals or organizations work at the development of the Francophone community, 32% of those who join organizations, networks or associations do so in order to promote the Francophone community. The latter proportion also varies depending on the proportion of Francophones within the municipality. Francophones living in a municipality where they represent 30% to 49.9% of the population (42%) are the most inclined to report that they are involved in activities promoting the Francophone community. Also, as regards their level of geographic concentration, there is no statistically significant difference between Francophones who live in municipalities where their concentration is low or medium (29% and 30% respectively report being involved in this type of activity). However, Francophones who live in municipalities were they are highly concentrated are proportionally more inclined to report that they are involved in this type of activity, at 39%.
4.6 Employment and income characteristics
Thus far, we have examined the size of differences in education level between the main language groups in Ontario. Data from both the census and the SVOLM can be used to examine the extent to which Ontario Francophones work in different industrial sectors than Anglophones. It is accordingly possible to identify similarities and differences in how the language groups are distributed among the various industrial sectors.
A brief analysis of 2006 Census data reveals that Francophones are proportionally more likely than Anglophones to work in the public administration and education services sectors. These two sectors employ respectively 13% and 10% of the province's Francophones, compared to 5% and less than 7% of Anglophones. For their part, Anglophones are proportionally more likely to have jobs in manufacturing (14%), retail trade (slightly more than 11%) and accommodation and food services (nearly 7%). By comparison, these three sectors employ respectively 10%, 10% and 5% of the province's Francophones. In most of the other major industry sectors, there are few differences between these two groups.
An examination of the data on the distribution of jobs by occupational group (not shown here) shows no major difference between the two language groups.
It should be noted, however, that while the relative share of secretarial and office personnel positions is slightly higher for Francophones than for Anglophones, there is no difference in the two groups' relative share of the positions of senior manager, manager, business and financial management professional, or professional or technical personnel in the natural and applied sciences. Such results suggest that the situation of Francophones has changed considerably since the 1960s, especially in light of the findings made by the members of the Dunton-Laurendeau Commission on the socioeconomic status of Francophones. As will be seen below, this transformation is also evident in the statistics on income.
4.6.1 Distribution among employment sectors by region of residence
The distribution of Francophones among the different employment sectors varies greatly from one region of the province to another. For example, it is hardly surprising that of all Francophone workers living in the Ottawa census division, 27% have a job in the public service compared to 8% of Francophones living in the other regions of the province. Conversely, as table 4.6.1 shows, while there are proportionally few Francophone workers employed in the manufacturing sector in Ottawa (3%) and Toronto (7%), the relative share of these workers is larger in the South-East region and the Rest of the province, at 12% and 14% respectively. Also, 14% of Toronto Francophones work in the professional, scientific and technical services sector, nearly double the figure for Francophones in Ottawa and much larger than the figures for those in the other regions of the province.
4.6.2 Use of French at work by industrial sector
Of all Ontario workers aged 15 and over, 6% (411,360) use French "most often" or "on a regular basis" in their work. Among Francophones, the corresponding proportion is 70%, namely 34% most often and 36% on a regular basis (that is, less often than the predominant language).11
As we just saw, Francophones who work in the public administration, education and health care and social assistance sectors account for nearly one-third (32%) of the province's Francophones. What about the use of French by the Francophones in these sectors? It is hardly surprising that Francophones in the education sector are proportionally more likely to have French as their main language of work; 66% use it most often while 15% report using it on a regular basis. Francophones in the agriculture, forestry and hunting and fishing sectors, which account for only 2% of the province's Francophone workers, are a close second as regards the use of French at work, namely 58% most often and 19% on a regular basis. However, in the public administration sector, a larger proportion of Francophones report using French at least regularly at work, 32% most often and 54% on a regular basis.
4.6.3 Income differentials
Historically, Francophones in Canada have been economically disadvantaged. Franco-Ontarians were no exception. Since individuals' income level is highly dependent on their education level, their occupation and the industrial sector in which they work (to name only these factors), it would appear that the substantial changes that Francophone communities have undergone over the past forty years have had major effects on their income level.
It is beyond the purpose and scope of this report to analyse the factors that have influenced how income differentials between the language groups have evolved. However, statistics from the 2006 Census suggest that the status of Franco-Ontarians has greatly improved over time.
When the median and average incomes of Francophones and Anglophones are compared, a mixed picture emerges. The 2006 statistics show that the average income of persons with French as their first official language spoken is roughly equal to that of Anglophones, whereas Francophones' median income is $3,500 higher than that of Anglophones. These findings suggest that income differences are larger within the Anglophone group than within the Francophone group, with a larger number of Anglophones reporting a high income. Also, the average and median incomes of persons with both French and English as first official languages spoken are much lower than those of the other two groups, owing to the fact that they are mainly immigrants. A number of studies have already shown that despite a higher education level, immigrants have a higher unemployment rate and lower income levels than their Canadian-born counterparts.
In light of the historical context described above, it is clear that the median income of the two language groups is age-related, with older Francophones having a lower median income than their Anglophone counterparts. The statistics shown in charts 4.6.3-a and 4.6.3-b reflect the fact that among persons aged 65 and over, the median income of Anglophones is higher than that of Francophones, for both men and women. By contrast, among 25 to 44-year-olds, the median income of French-speaking women and men alike is approximately $5,600 higher than that of Anglophones.12
It should finally be noted that like median income, the average income of members of the two main language groups varies according to the age of the individual (results not shown here). While the results on the population as a whole showed no disparity in average income, it may be seen that especially for men, Francophones aged 46 to 64 years and those aged 65 or over have lower incomes than their Anglophone counterparts, on the order of $4,000 and $6,000 respectively, even controlling for education level, region of residence, industrial sector and immigrant status. Among 25 to 44-year-olds, it is instead the average income of Francophones that is more than $2,000 higher than that of Anglophones.
Chart 4.6.3-b Median income for males by age group and first official language spoken, Ontario, 2006
Notes
- Report on Government of Canada Consultations on Linguistic Duality and Official Languages, February 2008.
- In other words, most often or on a regular basis.
- On this subject, see Table 2.1 of the report entitled "Health Care Professionals and Official-Language Minorities in Canada: 2001 and 2006," by C. Blaser, 2009, Catalogue no. 91-550-X.
- The proportion of medical doctors for whom French is the first official language spoken in these two regions is 14% and 32% respectively, while for nurses the corresponding proportions are 23% and 31%.
- As in the case of health care professionals, the use of French by lawyers and police officers depends on a number of factors, including the proportion of Francophones in a given community. However, an analysis of these factors is beyond the scope of this statistical portrait.
- Because of the very small number of members of the official-language minority who had contact with the RCMP, no conclusions regarding them can be drawn from the data obtained in the Survey on the Vitality on Official-Language Minorities.
- See Corbeil (2003), "30 years of education: Canada's language groups," in Canadian Social Trends, Statistics Canada, Catalogue no. 11-008.
- Either alone or with English.
-
Ontario took the first step of introducing compulsory school laws in 1871. However, this obligation concerned children between the ages
of seven and twelve and, in 1891, those between the ages of eight to fourteen and required children to attend school only at least four
months a year. Furthermore, in 1954, the Schools Administration Act imposed a minimum school leaving age of 16 for all children in
Ontario, but allowed adolescents over fourteen to work on a family farm, at home, or elsewhere, if doing so was necessary for
subsistence. By 1970, these exemptions were removed. For more information, please refer to Canadian Compulsory School Laws and their Impact on Educational Attainment and Future Earnings, Philip Oreopoulos, Statistics Canada (2005), Catalogue no. 11F0019MIE. - Rothwell, Neil and Martin Turcotte (2006). "The Influence of Education on Civic Engagement: Differences Across Canada's Rural-Urban Spectrum." Rural and Small Town Canada Analysis Bulletin, Vol. 7, No. 1, July, catalogue no. 21-006-XIE, page 1.
- The data of the Survey on the Vitality of Official-Language Minorities revealed that when respondents report using a language regularly in addition to the language that they speak most often, they are referring to using it daily.
- A finding notably explained by the fact that Francophones from this age group are on average more educated than their Anglophone counterparts.
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