Thematic Series on Ethnicity, Language and Immigration
Portrait of French-language workers in Western Canada’s agriculture and agri-food industries, 2011

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by Émilie Lavoie

Release date: July 12, 2017

Acknowledgments

This project was carried out as part of a collaboration between Statistics Canada, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, and Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada. The author wishes to thank Jacinthe Robichaud and her team at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada for their helpful suggestions and comments.

This project was made possible thanks to the contribution of Jean-Pierre Corbeil, Chief for the Centre for Ethnocultural, Language and Immigration Statistics at Statistics Canada. Thanks also go to Jean-François Lepage for his advice. The author would like to thank them warmly for their involvement and their availability throughout this project.

Finally, the author thanks Deniz Do, Alejandro Paez Silva and Julie Bertrand for their collaboration in finalizing the report.

Western Canada’s agriculture industry and the French-language minority

In 2011, most French-language^Note  agricultural workers^Note  were found in Manitoba and Alberta (1,065 workers in Manitoba and 1,100 in Alberta). By comparison, Saskatchewan was home to 875 French-language agricultural workers and British Columbia to 390 workers in 2011. The relative share of French-language agricultural workers was highest in Manitoba (3.9%). In the other western provinces, the relative share of French-language workers bordered on 1.0% in 2011.^Note 

As illustrated in Tables 1 to 3, French-language agricultural workers in Western Canada were found in only a few agricultural regions, and their proportion was never more than 10% in 2011. Furthermore, Map 2 illustrates that approximately half of the agricultural regions in the West had less than 1.0% of French-language workers (25 out of a total of 48). Map 2 also shows that eight agricultural regions in Western Canada had a concentration of French-language workers above 5%: four in Manitoba, three in Saskatchewan, and one in Alberta. Lastly, Map 1 illustrates that within census agricultural regions, French-language agricultural workers are concentrated in a few specific census subdivisions.^Note 

Western Canada’s agri-food industry and the French-language minority

In 2011, Alberta and British Columbia had the most French-language workers in the agri-food sector.^Note  Specifically, there were 3,515 workers in Alberta and 3,400 workers in British Columbia, compared with 1,945 in Manitoba and 345 in Saskatchewan. The relative weight of French-language workers ranged from 0.5% in Saskatchewan to 2.6% in Manitoba. Their relative weights in the provinces with the highest numbers of French-language workers were 1.6% in Alberta and 1.1% in British Columbia.

Map 4 shows that only one of the 48 agricultural regions in Western Canada—Manitoba’s Agricultural Region 7—had a concentration of French-language workers above 5%. Similarly, Map 3 illustrates that not a single census subdivision had a strong concentration of both French-language populations and agri-food workers, and only 39 out of 2,424 had an average concentration.^Note 

While Map 4 shows that Manitoba’s Agricultural Region 7 is the only one whose concentration of French-language workers is above 5%, Tables 4 to 6 illustrate that there were four agricultural regions in Western Canada with more than 1,000 French-language agri-food workers in 2011: Agricultural Region 9 in Manitoba, Agricultural Regions 3 and 5 in Alberta, and the Lower Mainland–Southwest Region in British Columbia.

Part 1: Portrait of Western Canada’s agricultural sector and its French-language workers

Socioeconomic portrait of French-language workers in Western Canada’s agriculture industry

• In 2011, French-language agricultural workers in Manitoba’s Agricultural Regions 7 and 9 and Saskatchewan’s Agricultural Region 8B were generally older than other workers in this sector.
• In Manitoba’s Agricultural Region 9, half the French-language agricultural workers were 50 years and older, compared with 31.6% of the other agricultural workers in the region.
• French-language workers in Alberta’s Agricultural Region 7 were younger than other workers in the region. The proportion of workers in the 15-to-49 age group was higher among French-language workers than among workers from other language groups.

• In 2011, the proportion of men among French-language workers was higher than among other workers in all agricultural regions in Western Canada, except in Manitoba’s Agricultural Region 7.
• In 2011, between 60% and 80% of French-language agricultural workers in the five regions were male.
• French-language agricultural workers were more likely to be separated, divorced, or widowed in Manitoba’s Agricultural Region 7 and Saskatchewan’s Agricultural Region 8B, compared with the other agricultural workers in these regions. Both of these regions are mentioned above for having a significant population of French-language workers aged 65 and older.
• In 2011, there were few, if any, French-language workers living in a common-law relationship in Western Canada, except in Alberta’s Agricultural Region 7, where there was a higher proportion than for other agricultural workers in the region.
• However, the majority of both French-language agricultural workers (between 62.2% and 70.0%) and other agricultural workers (between 60.1% and 74.6%) were married in 2011.

• In Manitoba’s Agricultural Regions 7 and 8 and in Alberta’s Agricultural Region 7, the level of education^Note  of French-language agricultural workers was similar to other workers in this sector.
  • However, compared with other workers in this sector, French-language workers in Manitoba’s Agricultural Region 7 were more likely to have no certificate, diploma or degree, and less likely to have a college certificate or diploma.^Note 
  • Compared with other workers in this sector, French-language workers in Alberta’s Agricultural Region 7 were less likely to have no certificate, diploma or degree, and more likely to have a high school diploma.^Note 
• French-language workers in Manitoba’s Agricultural Region 9 generally had a higher level of education than their counterparts from other language groups. Conversely, French-language workers in Saskatchewan’s Agricultural Region 8B were less likely to have a college diploma or a bachelor’s degree.^Note 

• In 2011, the majority of agricultural workers, regardless of their first official language spoken, were born in their province of residence. The proportion of French-language workers born in their province of residence was even higher.
• In Alberta’s Agricultural Region 7, just over one in five French-language workers were born in Canada, but in a province other than Alberta. This proportion is similar to other agricultural workers in this region.
• In 2011, more than 8 in 10 French-language agricultural workers were Catholic, significantly higher than for other agricultural workers in the region. Differences ranged from 31% in Saskatchewan’s Agricultural Region 8B to 83.5% in Manitoba’s Agricultural Region 8.
• Workers whose first language is English or a language other than French declared belonging to the United Church or another Christian religion.^Note  Very few French-language workers declared the same.
• Few, if any, French-language workers declared having no religious affiliation: only 7% of French-language workers in Manitoba’s region 9, compared with 17.9% of the other agricultural workers in this region.

• In Manitoba’s Agricultural Region 9, about three out of four agricultural workers were employees. By comparison, the proportion of employees never exceeded 50% in other agricultural regions in Western Canada.
• In all of Western Canada’s agricultural regions, French-language workers were less likely to be self-employed workers in an unincorporated business, and more likely to be self-employed workers in an incorporated business,^Note  compared with their counterparts from other language groups.

Linguistic portrait of French-language workers in Western Canada’s agriculture industry

• In 2011, the knowledge of French and English was widespread among French-language agricultural workers in Western Canada, in proportions ranging from 97.4% in Alberta’s Agricultural Region 7 to 100% in Manitoba’s Agricultural Region 7. By comparison, English was, by far, the only language known by other workers in this sector (93.0% to 98.0%).
• In 2011, the majority of French-language agricultural workers spoke French and English at home: 60.0% in Manitoba’s Agricultural Region 7 and 70.0% in Saskatchewan’s Agricultural Region 8B.
• More French-language agricultural workers spoke English at home than French in all of Western Canada’s agricultural regions, except in Manitoba’s Agricultural Region 7. In Saskatchewan’s Agricultural Region 8B, more than one in four French-language workers spoke only English at home, while none spoke only French at home.
• In 2011, French was hardly used at work. There were only two agricultural regions in Manitoba where French was the only language spoken at work by French-language workers, Agricultural Regions 7 and 8 (15.6% and 10.3% respectively).
• In 2011, about half the French-language workers used both French and English at work in the majority of agricultural regions. Moreover, in all agricultural regions except Manitoba’s Agricultural Region 7, the use of French and English at work was more widespread than the use of English only.
• The use of English as the only language spoken at work was widespread among French-language agricultural workers, in proportions ranging from 34.5% in Manitoba’s Agricultural Region 8 to 47.5% in Saskatchewan’s Agricultural Region 8B.

Agricultural portrait of five regions in Western Canada

Unlike the previous sections, this agricultural portrait focuses on the characteristics of farms and farm operators in Manitoba’s Agricultural Regions 7, 8, and 9, Saskatchewan’s Agricultural Region 8B, and Alberta’s Agricultural Region 7.^Note 

• In 2011, more than half the farms in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and their regions were sole proprietorships.
• In Manitoba’s Agricultural Regions 7 and 8, there was a higher proportion of family farms (family corporations), compared with the entire province.
• In Manitoba’s Agricultural Region 9, there was a higher proportion of incorporated farms (family and non-family) and a lower proportion of sole proprietorships, compared with the province as a whole.

• In Alberta’s Agricultural Region 7, there were more sole proprietorships and fewer incorporated family farms, compared with the province as a whole.

• The total area of farms in Manitoba’s Agricultural Regions 8 and 9 was generally smaller, compared with all farms in the province. In these regions, there were more smaller farms and fewer larger farms.
• In 2011, most of Manitoba’s farmland (95% and above) was owned by the operators.
• In the three Manitoba agricultural regions with concentrations of French-language workers in 2011, there were fewer farms on land leased from governments.
• In Manitoba’s Agricultural Regions 7 and 8, a higher proportion of farms declared land rented from others. Conversely, the proportion was lower in the province’s Agricultural Region 9.

• On average, farms in Saskatchewan’s Agricultural Region 8B had smaller areas than all farms in the province.
• Still compared with all farms in Saskatchewan, farms in Agricultural Region 8B were less likely to lease land from governments and more likely to lease land from others.
• In Saskatchewan, as in Agricultural Region 8B, more than 95% of farmland was owned by the operators.
• On average, farms in Alberta’s Agricultural Region 7 had larger areas than all farms in the province.
• In Alberta’s Agricultural Region 7, farms were more likely to have land leased from governments than all farms in the province.

• In Manitoba and Saskatchewan, more farms used computers for farm operations, compared with all farms in these two provinces. As a result, computers and the Internet were used more frequently for farm operations in Manitoba’s Agricultural Regions 7, 8, and 9, and Saskatchewan’s Agricultural Region 8B, compared with each respective province. Similarly, the proportion of farms with high-speed Internet access in the agricultural regions was higher than in each respective province.
• However, the opposite was observed in Alberta: farms in Agricultural Region 7 used computers and the Internet for farm operations less frequently, compared with all farms in the province.

• There was very little difference between the value of farm capital of the farms in agricultural regions with French-language populations and that of all farms in Western Canada. Differences were only noted in Manitoba’s Agricultural Region 8 and Alberta’s Agricultural Region 7:
  • On average, the total value of farm capital of farms in Manitoba’s Agricultural Region 8 was higher than for all farms across the province. On average, the total value of farm capital of farms in Alberta’s Agricultural Region 7 was lower than for all farms across the province.
• There were few differences in terms of gross farm receipts of the agricultural regions, compared with all farms in Saskatchewan and Alberta.
• In Manitoba’s Agricultural Region 8, there were fewer farms with lower revenues (less than $100,000) and more farms with revenues between $100,000 and $1,999,999, compared with all farms in the province.
• In Manitoba’s Agricultural Region 9, there were more farms with farm income of less than $25,000.

• In 2011, a higher proportion of farm operators lived off the farm in Manitoba’s Agricultural Region 8 and Saskatchewan’s Agricultural Region 8B, compared with all farm operators in each province respectively.
• Farm operators in Agricultural Region 8B were less likely to work an average of 40 hours a week or more on the farm, compared with all farm operators in Saskatchewan.
• Compared with all farm operators in Manitoba, more workers in Manitoba’s Agricultural Region 7 spent an average of 40 hours a week or more working on the farm, and fewer workers in Agricultural Region 9.
• In Manitoba’s Agricultural Regions 7 and 8, a higher proportion of operators declared that they did not work outside the farm operation, compared with the entire province.
• More farm operators in Agricultural Region 7 declared non-farm income (particularly those who declared more than 40 hours of paid non-farm work), compared with all farm operators in Alberta.

• In 2011, the type of livestock production in Manitoba’s Agricultural Region 7 was similar to the production in the entire province.
• The type of crop farming practised in Manitoba’s Agricultural Region 7 in 2011 was similar to the one practised in the entire province, with the exception of oilseed and grain farming and other crop farming. Oilseed and grain farming was more prevalent in the province’s Agricultural Region 7 than elsewhere in the province, while other crop farming was less prevalent.
• In 2011, the type of livestock production in Manitoba’s Agricultural Region 8 was different from the production in the entire province. There was a smaller proportion of cattle farms and other animal production operations.
• In Manitoba’s Agricultural Region 8 in 2011, oilseed and grain crop farming was more prevalent and other crop farming (particularly hay) was less prevalent, compared with all crop farming in the province.
• In 2011, the type of livestock production in Manitoba’s Agricultural Region 9 was different from the production in the entire province. There were fewer cattle farms (but more dairy cattle and milk production farms), and more hog farms, poultry and egg production farms, and other types of livestock production. Livestock production in this region was more varied.
• The type of farming in Manitoba’s Agricultural Region 9 differed from the type of farming in the entire province in 2011. Oilseed and grain farming was less common and greenhouse, nursery and floriculture farming more common.

• There were fewer cattle farms, particularly fewer beef cattle farms, including feedlots, in Saskatchewan’s Agricultural Region 8B than in the entire province.
• In 2011, the type of farming in Saskatchewan’s Agricultural Region 8B differed from the type of farming in the entire province. Oilseed and grain farming was more common and other crop farming less common.
• There were fewer cattle farms, particularly fewer beef cattle farms, including feedlots,^Note  in Alberta’s Agricultural Region 7 than in the entire province.
• There were more oilseed and grain crop farms and other crop farms in Alberta’s Agricultural Region 7 than in the entire province.

Part 2: Socioeconomic and linguistic portraits of workers in Western Canada’s agri-food sector

Socioeconomic portrait of French-language workers in Western Canada’s agri-food industry

• French-language agri-food workers were older than other workers in this sector. In all the regions shown in Chart 5, the proportion of workers aged 50 to 64 was higher among French-language workers than workers belonging to other language groups.
• Nearly one in three French-language workers in Manitoba’s Agricultural Region 7 were aged 15 to 29 in 2011, compared with one in two for workers belonging to other language groups.

• In both of Manitoba’s agricultural regions, there were more men among French-language agri-food workers than among workers from other language groups.
• In the five Western Canadian agricultural regions shown in Table 18, French-language agri-food workers were less likely to be single and more likely to live in a common-law relationship than other workers in this sector, except workers in Manitoba’s Agricultural Region 7.
  • In this agricultural region, one out of two French-language agri-food workers were married, a much higher proportion than for agri-food workers belonging to other language groups. In addition, few, if any, French-language workers were separated, divorced, widowed, or living in a common-law relationship.

• French-language agri-food workers in Manitoba’s Agricultural Region 9, Alberta’s Agricultural Region 5, and British Columbia’s Lower Mainland–Southwest Region generally had a higher level of education than their counterparts belonging to other language groups.
• In Manitoba’s Agricultural Region 7, French-language workers were less likely to have a certificate, diploma, or degree, and more likely to have a high school diploma^Note  than agri-food workers belonging to other language groups.

• In Manitoba, the majority of French-language agri-food workers were born in their province of residence. Their proportions were higher than for workers belonging to other language groups.
• In Alberta and British Columbia, French-language workers were more likely to be born in a Canadian province other than their province of residence, and less likely to be born in their province of residence or outside Canada.^Note 
• French-language agri-food workers in Western Canada were much more likely than their counterparts belonging to other language groups to be Catholic.
• Affiliation with the Catholic faith was strongest among French-language workers in Manitoba.
• Fewer French-language workers reported having no religious affiliation, compared with other workers in this sector.

• In 2011, the majority of agri-food workers, whether they were French-language or from another language group, were employees.
• In Manitoba, there was a greater proportion of French-language agri-food workers in the supply subsector (input and equipment) and the food, beverage and tobacco product manufacturing subsector. However, the proportion of these workers in the restaurant and food services subsector was smaller. There were also fewer French-language workers in the wholesale and retail food sales sector in Agricultural Region 7.
• In Alberta, the distribution of French-language workers across agri-food subsectors was the same as for their counterparts belonging to other language groups.
• In British Columbia’s Lower Mainland-Southwest Region, there were fewer French-language workers in the agri-food wholesale and retail food sales subsector and more French-language workers in the restaurant and food services subsector.

Linguistic portrait of French-language workers in Western Canada’s agri-food industry

Knowledge of official languages

• In 2011, knowledge of French and English was widespread among French-language agri-food workers, in proportions ranging from 94.8% in Alberta’s Agricultural Region 5 to 100% in Manitoba’s Agricultural Region 7. By comparison, English was, to a large extent, the only language known by other workers in this sector (87.8% to 94.1%).
• Knowledge of both official languages ranged from 5.4% (Alberta’s Agricultural Region 5) to 7.9% (Manitoba’s Agricultural Region 9) among agri-food workers belonging to a language group other than French.
• A small proportion of French-language workers in Alberta’s agricultural regions and in British Columbia’s Lower Mainland–Southwest Region knew only French.

Languages spoken at home

• Few French-language agri-food workers spoke only French at home (proportions ranged from 0.0% in Manitoba’s Agricultural Region 7 to 16.0% in Agricultural Region 9).
• Between one-third (Alberta’s Agricultural Region 3) and one-half (Manitoba’s Agricultural Region 7) of French-language agri-food workers spoke French and English at home. These proportions were significantly higher than for workers belonging to other language groups.
• The use of English and other languages was less common among French-language workers than among workers belonging to other language groups. The differences were particularly great in the use of English as the only language spoken at home, with proportions ranging from -35.2% in the Lower Mainland–Southwest Region to -54.4% in Manitoba’s Agricultural Region 7.

Languages used at work

• The vast majority of agri-food workers in Western Canada spoke only English at work. Even among French-language workers, English was used more often at work than French and English, with the exception of Manitoba’s Agricultural Region 7.
• However, French-language agri-food workers used both French and English at work, with proportions ranging from 15.5% in Alberta’s Agricultural Region 5 to 54.3% in Manitoba’s Agricultural Region 7.

Appendices

Appendix 1 – Industries of the agricultural sector
Appendix 2 – Agricultural sector and official language minorities in the census subdivisions
Appendix 3 - Industries in the agri-food sector
Appendix 4 – Agri-food sector and official language minorities in the census subdivisions