Ethnicity, Language and Immigration Thematic Series
Situation of English-speaking populations in Quebec and French-speaking populations in Canada outside Quebec: Results of the 2022 Survey on the Official Language Minority Population
Correction notice
Please note that corrections were made to this report. Changes were made to the results in the last highlights of both the English-speaking population in Quebec and the French-speaking population in Canada outside Quebec.
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Acknowledgements
This report and the 2022 Survey on the Official Language Minority Population received funding and ongoing support from the Department of Canadian Heritage.
This study was made possible thanks to the tireless efforts of many different teams and individuals who, over the years, contributed to planning, designing, preparing, testing, conducting, ensuring data quality, documenting, analyzing and publishing this major survey. The authors would like to thank each and every one of them, especially, Marie Desnoyers, Éric Caron Malenfant, Daniel Pereira, Claude Girard, Marie-Hélène Toupin, Danielle Léger and Catherine Dufour.
Many other current or former Statistics Canada staff members have made, over the years, important contributions to this survey including Siramane Coulibaly, Catherine Frigon, Julien Acaffou, Paul Brisson, Sara Tello, Jean-Pierre Corbeil, Émilie Lavoie, Deniz Do, Jean-François Nault, Guylaine Dubreuil, Isabelle Lévesque, Daphné Allard Gervais, Geneviève Caron, Geanina Popescu and Dominique Pérusse, as well as the in-house data collection and processing teams.
For their support, advice and help in producing the report, thanks to Laurent Martel, Daphne Fernandes, Juliane Oliveira Pisani Martini and Pierre-France Bondesen-David.
We would also like to acknowledge the expertise and guidance of the editors, as well as the members of the Interdepartmental Steering Committee and the survey Scientific Committee.
Start of text boxThe 2022 Survey on the Official Language Minority Population (SOLMP) was conducted to shed light on different aspects of the situation of the English-speaking population in Quebec and the French-speaking populations in Canada’s other provinces and the territory capitals.
English-speaking population in Quebec
- In 2022, 51% of children in a minority situation in Quebec who were or had been in daycare in Canada went to French-language daycare, 37% went to bilingual daycare, and 12% to English-language daycare.
- According to the 2022 survey data, 66% of parents of preschool-aged children in a minority situation intended to enrol their children in an English-language elementary school. The same proportion (66%) of parents of children in elementary school intended to enrol them in an English-language high school.
- Among English-speaking adults in Quebec who had attended a non-university postsecondary educational institution, 77% attended an institution where English was the main language of instruction in most of their courses. Among those who went to university, the main language of instruction was English for 80%.
- In 2022, 93% of adults who learned English in childhood spoke English most often at home at age 15, alone or together with another language. This proportion was almost the same (89%) in adulthood for all ages at the time of the survey.
- The survey data show that 31% of English-speaking adults in Quebec experienced linguistic insecurity in the five years preceding the survey—in other words, they experienced situations in which they hesitated to use English.
- In Quebec, 26% of English-speaking adults attended an English-language performance or arts event at least once in the 12 months preceding the survey.
- The data show that 18% of English-speaking adults considered that the presence of English in their municipality had increased over the 10 years preceding the survey, while two in five adults felt that it had remained the same (41%) or decreased (41%).
- In Quebec, 80% of English-speaking adults used English daily or a few times a week in the public sphere outside work with people other than family or friends. This proportion was higher in the Montréal area (83%) than in the rest of Quebec (69%).
- In 2022, 38% of children in a minority situation in Quebec used English only or used it more than French when participating in recreational activities or organized sports, while 40% used French only or used it more than English. More than half of children (61%) used both English and French when participating in these activities.
- In Quebec, among English-speaking adults who felt it was important to receive health care or services in English, 52% always or often received these services in English in their community, 41% sometimes or rarely did, and 7% never received these services in English.
- In Quebec, the proportions of English-speaking adults who had always or often been able to use English with governments in the two years preceding the survey were 73% at the federal, 45% at the provincial, or 48% at the municipal levels. Theses proportions were similar to 2006, except for the federal level where a decrease was observed from 78% in 2006.
French-speaking population in Canada outside Quebec
- In 2022, 54% of children in a minority situation in Canada outside Quebec who were or had been in daycare went to English-language daycare, 33% went to French-language daycare and 12% to bilingual daycare.
- According to the data, 75% of parents of preschool-aged children in a minority situation in Canada outside Quebec intended to enrol them in a French-language elementary school. Among parents whose children were attending elementary school, 63% intended to enrol them in a French-language high school.
- Among French-speaking adults in Canada outside Quebec who had attended a non-university postsecondary educational institution, 46% had French as the main language of instruction in most of their courses. Among those who went to university, the main language of instruction was French for 51%.
- In Canada outside Quebec, 82% of adults who learned French in childhood spoke French most often at home at age 15, alone or together with another language. By comparison, 56% of adults of all ages at the time of the survey spoke French in adulthood.
- In 2022, 24% of French-speaking adults experienced linguistic insecurity in the five years preceding the survey—in other words, they experienced situations in which they hesitated to use French.
- In Canada outside Quebec, 26% of French-speaking adults attended a French-language performance or arts events at least once in the year preceding the survey.
- In 2022, 16% of French-speaking adults in Canada outside Quebec felt that the presence of French in their municipality had increased in the 10 years preceding the survey, 56% felt it had remained the same, and 28% felt it had decreased.
- Half (50%) of French-speaking adults used French daily or a few times a week in the public sphere outside work with people other than family or friends. This proportion was higher in New Brunswick (87%) and Ontario (48%), and lower in the western provinces (21%) and territory capitals (36%).
- In Canada outside Quebec, 84% of children in a minority situation spoke English only or used it more than French when participating in sports or leisure activities, while 8% used French only or used it more than English. Approximately one-third (32%) of children in a minority situation in Canada outside Quebec used both English and French when participating in these activities.
- Among French-speaking adults in Canada outside Quebec who felt it was important to receive health care or services in French, 43% always or often received these services in French in their community, 35% sometimes or rarely did, and 22% never received these services in French.
- In Canada outside Quebec, the proportions of French-speaking adults who had always or often been able to use French with governments in the two years preceding the survey decreased from 60% in 2006 to 42% in 2022 at the federal level, from 49% to 35% at the provincial or territorial level, and from 44% to 37% at the municipal level.
Introduction
This report presents the key findings from the 2022 Survey on the Official Language Minority Population (SOLMP). It provides an overview of the situation of English-speaking populations in Quebec and French-speaking populations in Canada’s other provinces and the territory capitals.
This survey was conducted to better understand the situation of official language minorities with respect to certain topics and current issues, such as education, early childhood services, access to and use of other services in the minority official language, as well as language practices at home, at work and in the public sphere.
The survey, which represents a collaboration between Statistics Canada and Canadian Heritage, aims to support users of data on official language minority communities by
- providing data on current issues and topics that affect official language minorities
- meeting data requirements that are not met by existing data
- measuring developments in the situation of official language minority communities since a similar survey, the 2006 Survey on the Vitality of Official-Language Minorities (SVOLM), was conducted.
The survey data aim to inform official languages policies, programs and services in Canada and to support the Official Languages Act and the implementation of the Action Plan for Official Languages 2023-2028: Protection-Promotion-Collaboration. The data will also be useful to official language minority communities, researchers and other stakeholders in this area.
The results are presented in five main sections in this report and examine 20 topics covered in the survey.
The first section deals with early childhood services and the language of instruction of children and adults. It includes the language used at daycare, parents’ intentions and choices with respect to their children’s school and language of instruction, and the reasons for these intentions and choices. The intentions of high school students with respect to the language of postsecondary education, and the language of postsecondary education of adults are also discussed in this section.
The second section examines language dynamics, in particular language trajectories from childhood to adulthood, as well as two new topics covered in this survey: linguistic insecurity and perceived discrimination based on language.
The third section looks at art, culture and media, sense of belonging, vitality, community participation and migration. In particular, it explores attendance at performances and arts events presented in the minority official language, the languages used to consult media and for cultural consumption, and the sense of belonging to official language groups. In addition, it addresses the perception of the local vitality of the minority official language, participation in activities in the local minority language community, migrations to the minority official language community and the reasons for wanting to move, if any.
The fourth section explores the use of official languages in certain areas of the public sphere. For example, it looks at the use of official languages at work and the importance of being able to use the minority official language there. It also deals with the use of the minority official language in the public sphere, outside work, with people other than family or friends.
The last section focuses on access to services in the minority official language. This includes the use of official languages when receiving services from federal, provincial, territorial, and municipal governments, health care or services, interactions with the justice system, as well as assistance services for immigrants upon their arrival in Canada.
Start of text boxAbout the Survey on the Official Language Minority Population
The 2022 Survey on the Official Language Minority Population is a postcensal survey. In other words, its sample is taken from the 2021 Census of Population. “Official language minority population” refers to the English-language population in Quebec and the French-language population in Canada outside Quebec.
The survey comprises two main samples, one with people aged 18 and older (the adult sample) and the other with people under 18 years (the child sample). The first was selected from adults in the official language minority population, while the second was selected from children who have at least one parent in this population and those who are eligible for instruction in the minority official language pursuant to section 23 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. For simplicity, the terms children “in a minority situation” and adults “in the official language minority (OLM) population,” “English-speaking” adults in Quebec or “French-speaking” adults in Canada outside Quebec are used in this report to refer to these target populations.
The survey was conducted in the 10 Canadian provinces from May 16 to December 16, 2022, and in the capitals of the three Canadian territories from August 22 to December 16, 2022. A total of nearly 30,000 people completed the survey. The adult sample includes 13,892 respondents, while the child sample comprises 16,066 children for whom a parent or guardian answered some questions about their child and others about themselves.
The sample was stratified by age group as of May 16, 2022, and by province and region of residence as of May 11, 2021. The age groups in the child sample were as follows: 1 to 4 years; 5 to 11 years; and 12 to 17 years. The age groups in the adult sample were: 18 to 24 years; 25 to 44 years; 45 to 64 years; and 65 years and older. Stratification by age could not be done for the territory capitals due to the low numbers of these target populations. In addition to the provinces and territory capitals, stratification was done for three regions in New Brunswick (northern, southeastern, the rest of New Brunswick), five in Ontario (Toronto, Ottawa, southeastern, northeastern, the rest of Ontario), and six in Quebec (Montréal, Québec and surrounding areas, Estrie and south, west, east, the rest of Quebec).
In this report, changes between the provinces, territory capitals or regions by gender or age group, or changes over time compared with the results of the 2006 Survey on the Vitality of Official-Language Minorities are mentioned only when they are statistically significant at a 95% confidence level, unless otherwise indicated. Comparisons with the 2006 data on children focused on children who had at least one adult in the official language minority (OLM) population in their census family in 2021 to ensure that the 2022 sample corresponds to the 2006 sample of children.
Some figures in this report are identified with a superscript “E,” meaning “use with caution” due to the limited number of cases in the denominator of the percentages presented or to a confidence interval larger than 14 percentage points. Note that no figure mentioned in this report has a confidence interval larger than 20 percentage points.
In addition, although some concepts are common to the Survey on the Official Language Minority Population and the 2021 Census of Population, the results can differ slightly between these two sources.
For more information on the methodology, please consult the User Guide to the 2022 Survey on the Official Language Minority Population.
1. Early childhood services and language of instruction
Instruction in the minority official language is a priority for OLM communities and has been identified as such by the Government of Canada, notably in the Action Plan for Official Languages 2023–2028. Data from this survey provide insights on the different stages of the continuum of education in the minority official language, from daycare in early childhood to elementary, secondary, and postsecondary studies. The information presented below contributes to Statistics Canada’s development of a data ecosystem on instruction in the minority official language, of which this survey is an important part, along with the census, administrative data sources and various studies.
1.1 Early childhood services
In Quebec, half (51%) of children in a minority situation who were or had been in daycare in Canada attended a French-language daycare, more than one-third (37%) were in a bilingual daycare, and roughly a tenth (12%) were in an English-language daycare (Chart 1.1).
Data table for Chart 1.1
| Minority official language | Bilingual | Majority official language | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Percentage | 95% confidence interval | Percentage | 95% confidence interval | Percentage | 95% confidence interval | ||||
| lower bound | upper bound | lower bound | upper bound | lower bound | upper bound | ||||
Source: Statistics Canada, Survey on the Official Language Minority Population, 2022. |
|||||||||
| Quebec | 12 | 10.7 | 13.4 | 37 | 34.8 | 39.1 | 51 | 48.8 | 53.4 |
| Canada outside Quebec | 33 | 31.3 | 35.6 | 12 | 10.6 | 13.1 | 55 | 52.5 | 57.1 |
| New Brunswick | 62 | 58.6 | 65.0 | 21 | 18.1 | 24.2 | 17 | 14.8 | 19.9 |
| Other Atlantic provinces | 31 E use with caution | 23.0 | 39.1 | 5 | 3.7 | 6.1 | 65 E use with caution | 56.3 | 72.4 |
| Ontario | 36 | 32.5 | 38.9 | 11 | 9.8 | 13.0 | 53 | 49.8 | 56.4 |
| Western provinces | 18 | 15.0 | 20.7 | 11 | 8.4 | 13.6 | 72 | 67.7 | 75.2 |
| Territorial capitals | 50 | 44.7 | 55.2 | 5 | 3.0 | 7.6 | 45 | 40.1 | 50.5 |
The proportion of children who were in English-language daycare in Quebec fell from 2006 (down 15 percentage points), while the proportion of children in bilingual daycares increased (up 18 percentage points). The proportion of children who went to French-language daycare fell slightly (down 3 percentage points).
In Canada outside Quebec, just over half (54%) of children in a minority situation went to English-language daycare. One-third (33%) went to French-language daycare and just over a tenth (12%) were in bilingual daycare. The proportion of children attending French-language daycare was higher in New Brunswick (62%) and in the territory capitals (50%) and lower in the western provinces (18%).
The proportion of children in Canada outside Quebec who were in bilingual daycare was slightly higher in 2022 than in 2006 (an increase of 6 percentage points), while the proportions of children in French- or English-language daycare both decreased by 3 percentage points.
In 2022, the main reasons for parents in Quebec to choose an English-language daycare for their children were the availability of the service in that language (41%), its proximity to their place of residence or work (33%), quality of the services (27%) and the fact that it was the child’s mother tongue or the only language they know (26%).
In Canada outside Quebec, the main reasons parents had for choosing French-language daycare for their children were the importance of receiving this service in French (63%), a preference based on their identity (55%), wanting their children to become bilingual (51%) and the availability of this service in French (45%).
In Quebec, more than a quarter of parents who chose French-language daycare did so because they wanted their child to become bilingual (30%) or because of its proximity (26%). In Canada outside Quebec, over one-quarter of parents who chose an English-language daycare did so because of its proximity (29%) or because English was the child’s mother tongue or the only language they know (28%).
In both Quebec and Canada outside Quebec, for about half (44%) of parents with a child in a minority situation who attended daycare in the majority official language, the service was not available in the minority official language. In fact, 38% of parents in Canada outside Quebec and 29% of parents in Quebec with a child who was in a majority official language daycare would have preferred a minority official language daycare.
1.2 Intentions with respect to children’s school and language of instruction
The survey data provide insights on the intentions of parents with respect to their children’s school and language of instruction before they enter elementary or high school. In Canada, two-thirds (66%) of parents intended to enrol their children in a minority language elementary or high school when they are of age to be enrolled.
In Quebec, two-thirds (66%) of parents of preschool-aged children in a minority situation intended to enrol their children in an English-language elementary school. The same proportion (66%) of parents of children in elementary school intended to enrol them in an English-language high school.
In Canada outside Quebec, three-quarters (75%) of parents of preschool-aged children in a minority situation intended to enrol them in a French-language elementary school. Among parents whose children already attended elementary school, 63% intended to enrol them in a French-language high school.
Higher percentages were noted in New Brunswick (92% for elementary school and 87% for high school), and the territory capitals (86%E and 70%). In contrast, intentions to enrol children in a French-language school were lower in western provinces (66% for elementary school and 54% for high school).
Parents had different reasons why they intended to enrol their children in a minority language elementary or high school (Chart 1.2). Across Canada, approximately 63% of these parents wanted to exercise their right to have their children receive instruction in the minority official language. The other main reasons included wanting their child to become bilingual (50% in Quebec and 66% in Canada outside Quebec) and the importance of studying in the minority official language (46% and 64%).
Data table for Chart 1.2
| Quebec | Canada outside Quebec | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Percentage | 95% confidence interval | Percentage | 95% confidence interval | |||
| lower bound | upper bound | lower bound | upper bound | |||
| Note: Among parents who consider it “very likely” or “likely” that their child will be enrolled in a minority official language school, and whose child is aged less than 5 and not yet attending elementary school, or attending primary or middle school but not high school.
Source: Statistics Canada, Survey on the Official Language Minority Population, 2022. |
||||||
| Child is eligible to attend minority language school | 64 | 59.6 | 67.2 | 62 | 59.1 | 65.3 |
| Parents want child to be bilingual | 50 | 45.9 | 53.8 | 66 | 63.6 | 69.1 |
| Completing studies in minority language is important | 46 | 41.7 | 49.9 | 64 | 61.0 | 67.2 |
| Advantage in the labor market | 34 | 29.9 | 37.2 | 49 | 45.9 | 52.2 |
| To maintain child's minority language skills | 33 | 29.8 | 37.3 | 58 | 55.2 | 61.3 |
| Child does not know majority language or knows minority language better | 32 | 29.0 | 36.1 | 18 | 16.2 | 19.9 |
| Preference based on parent's identity | 31 | 27.6 | 34.8 | 48 | 44.8 | 50.9 |
| A school is available in the community or the program of interest is available in the minority language | 31 | 28.2 | 34.8 | 45 | 42.2 | 48.4 |
| Contribute to the development of the community | 25 | 21.5 | 28.3 | 35 | 32.2 | 38.1 |
| High quality of school | 22 | 18.8 | 25.0 | 22 | 19.4 | 24.6 |
| Parent knows the minority language only or better, or is not comfortable helping child in majority language | 20 | 17.3 | 23.3 | 14 | 12.7 | 15.9 |
| To be with family members or friends | 14 | 11.4 | 16.2 | 23 | 20.5 | 26.1 |
| Distance between home and school | 12 | 10.1 | 15.0 | 9 | 7.2 | 10.6 |
| Services of good quality available for students | 10 | 7.7 | 12.3 | 9 | 7.0 | 11.4 |
Some parents wanted their child to maintain their skills in the minority official language (33% in Quebec and 58% outside Quebec) or to learn the minority official language to have more of an advantage in the labour market (33% and 49%). It is also a preference based on identity for almost half (48%) of French-speaking parents living in Canada outside Quebec.
In Quebec, parents in the OLM population intended to enrol their children in a French-language elementary or high school because they wanted their child to become bilingual (48%), they felt it was important for their child to study in French (42%) and they wanted their child to maintain their French skills (37%). In Canada outside Quebec, parents in the OLM population intended to enrol their children in an English-language elementary or high school because their child was more comfortable in English (38%), they did not know French well enough (31%), or they felt it was important for their child study in English (23%).
1.3 Elementary school and language of instruction
The survey findings also shed light on the language of instruction, the elementary school attended by children eligible for instruction in the minority official language, as well as the reasons why parents chose to enrol their children in a minority or majority language school.
In Quebec, 59% of children eligible to attend an English-language school either had English as the language of instruction in elementary school or attended a French immersion program at an English-language school. The enrolment rate in English-language elementary schools did not change significantly compared with 2006, but the proportion of children with at least one English-speaking adult in their family who were in a French immersion program rose from 12% in 2006 to 17% in 2022.
In Canada outside Quebec, nearly half (49%) of children eligible for instruction in French attended a French-language school. If we include eligible children who were enrolled in a French immersion program in an English-language school (16%), this proportion rises to 65%, or nearly two-thirds of eligible children who had French as a language of instruction in elementary school in Canada outside Quebec.
The proportion of children in Canada outside Quebec with at least one French-speaking adult in their family who were enrolled in French-language elementary school increased from 54% in 2006 to 64% in 2022.
In Quebec, many parents whose child’s language of instruction was English in elementary school wanted them to become bilingual (43%), preferred English based on their identity (39%), or felt it was important to study in English (37%) (Chart 1.3). For other parents, English was their child’s mother tongue, the only language they knew, or the language in which they were most comfortable studying (36%).
Data table for Chart 1.3
| Quebec | Canada outside Quebec | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Percentage | 95% confidence interval | Percentage | 95% confidence interval | |||
| lower bound | upper bound | lower bound | upper bound | |||
| Note: Children aged 3 to 17 who attend or have attended elementary school in Canada.
Source: Statistics Canada, Survey on the Official Language Minority Population, 2022. |
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| Parents wanted child to be bilingual | 43 | 38.3 | 47.3 | 60 | 57.0 | 62.3 |
| Child did not know majority language or was more comfortable studying in the minority language | 40 | 36.0 | 44.7 | 27 | 25.0 | 29.3 |
| Preference based on parent's identity | 39 | 34.8 | 43.6 | 60 | 56.7 | 63.0 |
| Completing studies in the minority language was important | 37 | 32.8 | 41.4 | 63 | 60.3 | 66.5 |
| Parent knew the minority language better or could more easily help the child in this language | 33 | 29.2 | 37.3 | 24 | 22.0 | 26.0 |
| Advantage in the labour market | 28 | 24.4 | 32.1 | 49 | 46.2 | 52.1 |
| High quality of the program or the school | 27 | 22.9 | 30.9 | 30 | 26.9 | 32.5 |
| To maintain child's minority language skills | 24 | 20.6 | 28.4 | 47 | 43.6 | 49.6 |
| Distance between home and school | 12 | 9.3 | 15.1 | 8 | 7.0 | 10.2 |
| To be with family members or friends | 12 | 9.1 | 14.5 | 19 | 16.3 | 21.2 |
| Program of interest was available in minority language | 7 | 5.1 | 9.7 | 10 | 7.7 | 11.8 |
In 2022, for the majority of parents in Canada outside Quebec whose child was studying in French in a French-language elementary school, this choice was because they felt it was important to study in French (63%), it was their preference based on their identity (60%) or they wanted their child to become bilingual (60%).
In Quebec, the main reasons parents had for choosing a majority language school for their child’s instruction were that the child was not entitled to attend an English-language school (48%), they wanted their child to become bilingual (34%), they felt it was important that their child study in the language of the francophone majority (28%).
In Canada outside Quebec, many parents enrolled their child in an English-language program in an elementary school because their child was more comfortable in English (38%) or they did not know French well enough (28%). In addition, a quarter of parents did so because they could not help their child in French (25%) or because of the distance between their home and school (24%).
About half of parents in the OLM population who enrolled their child in a French-language program in elementary school in Quebec (52%) or an English-language program in Canada outside Quebec (45%) would have preferred to enrol their child in a minority language program, be it a regular or immersion program.
1.4 Secondary school and language of instruction
The survey also included questions on children who attended high school. Of these, more than half (56%) of the children eligible to attend English-language high school in Quebec had English as their language of instruction or were enrolled in a French immersion program in an English-language school. The enrolment rate in English-language high schools did not change significantly from 2006, although the proportion of children with at least one English-speaking adult in their family who were in a French immersion program at these schools doubled from 4% in 2006 to 8% in 2022.
In Canada outside Quebec, 42% of children eligible for instruction in French attended a French-language high school. When eligible children who are enrolled in a French immersion program are also included, the proportion rises to 51% of eligible children who had French as their language of instruction in high school in Canada outside Quebec.
The proportion of children in Canada outside Quebec with at least one French-speaking adult in their family who were enrolled in French-language high school rose from 50% in 2006 to 55% in 2022, as did the proportion of those in French immersion programs in English schools (up from 7% to 9%). In contrast, the proportion of these children in a regular program in English-language schools fell from 43% to 36% over the same period.
In 2022, parents in Canada outside Quebec had several reasons for choosing to enrol their children in a French-language high school (Chart 1.4). For about half of parents, it was important for their child to study in French (58%), it was a preference based on their identity (57%), they wanted the child to maintain their skills in the minority official language (51%) or they wanted their child to become bilingual (49%). Some parents also felt that studying in French was more of an advantage in the labour market (43%).
Data table for Chart 1.4
| Quebec | Canada outside Quebec | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Percentage | 95% confidence interval | Percentage | 95% confidence interval | |||
| lower bound | upper bound | lower bound | upper bound | |||
| Note: Children under 17 who attend or have attended secondary school in Canada.
Source: Statistics Canada, Survey on the Official Language Minority Population, 2022. |
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| Preference based on parent's identity | 40 | 34.3 | 46.0 | 57 | 51.0 | 61.9 |
| Child did not know majority language or was more comfortable studying in the minority language | 39 | 33.4 | 44.6 | 23 | 20.2 | 26.9 |
| Completing studies in the minority language was important | 37 | 31.1 | 43.4 | 58 | 52.5 | 63.8 |
| Parents wanted child to be bilingual | 33 | 27.0 | 38.7 | 49 | 44.0 | 54.9 |
| Parent knew the minority language better or could more easily help the child in this language | 30 | 24.6 | 35.3 | 20 | 16.4 | 23.0 |
| To maintain child's minority language skills | 29 | 24.0 | 35.1 | 51 | 45.4 | 56.2 |
| High quality of the program or the school | 27 | 21.8 | 31.9 | 25 | 19.9 | 29.8 |
| Advantage in the labour market | 25 | 20.1 | 30.4 | 43 | 37.7 | 48.8 |
| To be with family members or friends | 16 | 12.5 | 21.1 | 17 | 13.5 | 21.3 |
| Distance between home and school | 14 | 10.0 | 18.6 | 6 | 3.9 | 7.9 |
| Program of interest was available in minority language | 13 | 9.2 | 17.6 | 13 | 9.3 | 17.1 |
In Quebec, there were various reasons why parents chose to enrol their children in an English-language program in a high school. For some, it was a preference based on their identity (40%), they felt it was important for their child to study in English (37%), or English was the child’s mother tongue, the only language they knew or the language in which they were most comfortable studying (35%). Some also wanted their child to become bilingual (33%) or to maintain their skills in English (29%).
The reasons parents chose a French-language school for their child’s secondary education in Quebec included the fact that their child was not entitled to attend an English-language school (45%), they felt it was important to study in the language of the francophone majority (27%), they wanted the child to become bilingual (27%) or to maintain their French skills (21%). More than half of parents (54%) who enrolled their child in a French-language high school would have preferred to enrol them in an English-language school (27%) or in an English immersion program in high school (27%).
In Canada outside Quebec, parents who chose an English-language program for their child’s secondary education did so because their child was more comfortable studying in English (35%) or did not know French well enough to study in that language (25%). Some parents felt it was important for their child to study in English (27%), to maintain their English skills (23%), or that they could better help their child in English (20%). With regard to the distance to school, a topic that has been examined in recent analyses, about one in six children (16%) in a minority situation were enrolled in an English-language school on account of the distance between their place of residence and the high school. However, 40% of these parents would have preferred their child to be enrolled in a French-language program, either in a French-language school (10%) or in a French immersion program (31%).
1.5 Language of postsecondary education
In addition to questions on daycare and elementary and secondary education, the survey also had questions on the last stages of the education continuum. Specifically, these questions were on teenagers’ intentions with respect to the language of their future postsecondary studies and on the language of postsecondary instruction of the adults.
In Quebec, 80% of children aged 14 to 17 who were eligible for instruction in English or whose parents were anglophone and were considering pursuing postsecondary studies intended to enrol in an English (61%) or bilingual (19%) program. This percentage was higher in the Montréal area, western Quebec, and the combined region of Estrie and southern Quebec (84%) than in the rest of the province (52%E).
In Canada outside Quebec, 27% of eligible children aged 14 to 17 or whose parents are francophone who planned to pursue postsecondary studies intended to enrol in a French (12%) or bilingual (15%) program. This percentage was higher in New Brunswick (70%E).
Identity (44% in Quebec and 72%E outside Quebec) and the importance of studying in the minority official language (41% and 58%E) were the main reasons teenagers intending to do postsecondary studies had for the choice of the language of study. The other main reasons in both Quebec and Canada outside Quebec were maintaining their skills in the minority official language (40%) and having that language as their mother tongue, the only language they knew or the language in which they were most comfortable studying (38%). The perceived benefits of studying in this language when the time comes to enter the labour market (37%) was another important reason.
For one-third (33%) of parents in the OLM population in Canada whose teenager intended to enrol in a postsecondary program in the majority official language, this language was their child’s mother tongue, the only language their child knew, or the language in which their child was most comfortable studying. In addition, for 8% of parents, this language of study was chosen because there was no minority language postsecondary institution in their community.
In Quebec, about one-third (34%E) of parents in the OLM population whose teenager intended to enrol in a postsecondary program in the majority official language would have preferred that their child enrol in a program in the minority official language, compared with 12% of parents in Canada outside Quebec.
Among adults who did postsecondary studies, the vast majority (81%) of English-speaking adults in Quebec had attended a postsecondary institution where the language of instruction in most of their courses was English, compared with about half (49%) of French-speaking adults in Canada outside Quebec who had French as their language of instruction (Chart 1.5).
Data table for Chart 1.5
| Percentage | 95% confidence interval | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| lower bound | upper bound | ||
| Note: Among adults in the official language minority population with post-secondary education at the specified post-secondary level. This is the language of instruction in most of their courses.
Source: Statistics Canada, Survey on the Official Language Minority Population, 2022. |
|||
| Quebec | |||
| Trade | 67 | 62.4 | 71.1 |
| College | 78 | 75.9 | 80.5 |
| Bachelors or certificate | 79 | 77.1 | 81.6 |
| Masters or Doctorate | 71 | 65.9 | 75.9 |
| Canada outside Quebec | |||
| Trade | 41 | 37.4 | 43.7 |
| College | 46 | 43.5 | 48.4 |
| Bachelors or certificate | 51 | 48.3 | 53.2 |
| Masters or Doctorate | 50 | 45.2 | 54.2 |
In fact, among all English-speaking adults in Quebec who had attended a non-university postsecondary educational institution, the vast majority (77%) had attended an institution where the main language of instruction in most of their courses was English, up from 2006 (73%). Among those who attended university, the vast majority (80 %) had attended an institution where their main language of instruction was English, up from 2006 (73%).
Among French-speaking adults in Canada outside Quebec who had attended a non-university postsecondary educational institution, 46% attended an institution where French was their main language of instruction, similar to the proportion in 2006. Among those who studied at university, French was their main language of instruction for 51%, also similar to the proportion in 2006.
2. Language dynamics
The 2022 survey comprised questions on language dynamics within official language minority populations. Aside from language trajectories over a lifetime, examined in this section, the survey also had new questions on other aspects of language dynamics and experiences using the minority official language. Some questions collected information on the situations in which individuals hesitated to use the minority language and on perceived experiences of linguistic discrimination or unfair treatment.
2.1 Language trajectories from childhood to adulthood
There are several approaches to examining an individual’s language trajectory over their lifetime. One such approach, based on the language learned in childhood and the language spoken most often at home, reveals a contrast between language retention—or continuing to speak the language most often at home—and language substitutions—i.e., adopting another language as the language spoken most often at home.
Retention of the minority official language as the language spoken most often at home was higher in Quebec than in Canada outside Quebec. In Quebec, 93% of adults who learned English in childhood spoke English most often at home at age 15, alone or together with another language. This proportion was practically the same (89%) in adulthood for all ages at the time of the survey. This rate was slightly higher than in 2006 (86%).
In Canada outside Quebec, 82% of adults who learned French in childhood spoke French most often at home at age 15, alone or together with another language. At the time of the survey, 56% of these adults spoke French most often at home. The percentage was similar in 2006.
These results indicate that at the time of the survey, 11% of adults in Quebec who learned English in childhood and 44% of adults in Canada outside Quebec who learned French in childhood no longer spoke that language most often at home. Almost all these adults had adopted the majority language as the language spoken most often at home, while others spoke both the majority language and the minority language most often at home.
In Quebec, a total of 13% of adults who learned English in childhood spoke French most often at home, alone or together with English. Of these adults, 45%E adopted French as the language spoken most often at home before the age of 18, and 25%E did so between the ages of 18 and 24. Chart 2.1 shows that the main reasons for adopting French as the language spoken most often at home in Quebec were to be able to speak with their spouse, because it was the language of the community or because of school.
Data table for Chart 2.1
| Quebec | Canada outside Quebec | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Percentage | 95% confidence interval | Percentage | 95% confidence interval | |||
| lower bound | upper bound | lower bound | upper bound | |||
Source: Statistics Canada, Survey on the Official Language Minority Population, 2022. |
||||||
| Language of the community | 28 E use with caution | 20.0 | 36.4 | 42 | 38.9 | 44.1 |
| Speak with their spouse or common-law partner | 49 E use with caution | 39.5 | 57.7 | 35 | 32.4 | 37.4 |
| Education reasons | 23 E use with caution | 15.9 | 32.6 | 23 | 21.1 | 25.7 |
| Work | 7 | 4.8 | 10.5 | 19 | 16.8 | 21.0 |
| Speak with their parent | 18 | 12.7 | 24.0 | 17 | 14.6 | 18.7 |
| Move or immigration | 7 | 4.2 | 11.7 | 12 | 10.3 | 13.8 |
| Speak with their child | 8 | 5.6 | 12.6 | 7 | 5.6 | 8.4 |
| Speak with their step-parent | 6 | 2.9 | 13.3 | 5 | 3.6 | 6.1 |
| Other reason | 5 | 3.0 | 7.8 | 11 | 9.4 | 12.4 |
In Canada outside Quebec, 51% of adults who learned French in childhood spoke English most often at home at the time of the survey, alone or together with French. As a result, half of adults who learned French in childhood either adopted English or, for individuals from a bilingual or multilingual household, maintained it. The proportion of French-speaking adults in this situation was lower in New Brunswick (17%) and higher in Ontario (57%) and in the western Canadian provinces (71%).
About half (54%E) of adults in Canada outside Quebec who learned French in childhood began to speak English most often at home before the age of 18, while about one-quarter (26%) adopted English between the ages of 18 and 24. Even among older adults, English was adopted as a language at a young age. For example, 79% of adults aged 65 and older who learned French in childhood and spoke English most often at home adopted English before the age of 25. The main reasons for adopting English as the language spoken most often at home were that it is the language of the community (42%), that they wanted to be able to speak with their spouse (35%) or for education reasons (23%).
2.2 Linguistic insecurity
In Canada, approximately one-quarter (27%) of adults in the OLM population had experienced a situation of linguistic insecurity over the previous five years—in other words, a situation in which they hesitated to use the minority official language. This proportion was slightly higher in Quebec (31%) than in Canada outside Quebec (24%).
In Canada outside Quebec, the proportion of French-speaking adults who had experienced linguistic insecurity was lower in New Brunswick (20%), but higher in the other Atlantic provinces (29%), in the western provinces (27%) and in the territory capitals (40%).
Chart 2.2 presents several reasons that could cause a person in the OLM population to hesitate to speak in the minority official language. The most common reason for situations of linguistic insecurity was that others in their community did not know the minority official language well enough or at all, both in Quebec (70%) and in Canada outside Quebec (66%).
Data table for Chart 2.2
| Quebec | Canada outside Quebec | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Percentage | 95% confidence interval | Percentage | 95% confidence interval | |||
| lower bound | upper bound | lower bound | upper bound | |||
| Note: Among adults who hesitated to use the minority language in the past five years. Source: Statistics Canada, Survey on the Official Language Minority Population, 2022. |
||||||
| Others in the community did not know the minority language well enough or at all | 70 | 66.8 | 73.8 | 66 | 63.0 | 69.2 |
| The person was more comfortable in the majority language | 7 | 4.8 | 8.6 | 27 | 24.1 | 29.8 |
| The person felt that their abilities in the minority language were not sufficient | 6 | 4.2 | 8.2 | 22 | 19.4 | 25.0 |
| The person was too embarrassed or ill-at-ease | 34 | 30.6 | 38.4 | 19 | 16.1 | 21.0 |
| Other reason | 20 | 17.2 | 23.5 | 8 | 6.3 | 9.8 |
The proportion of adults in the OLM population who experienced linguistic insecurity because they were too embarrassed or ill-at-ease to speak in the minority official language was higher in Quebec (34%) than in Canada outside Quebec (19%). Conversely, the proportion of adults whose experience of linguistic insecurity was because they were more comfortable in the majority official language or did not have sufficient knowledge of the minority official language was higher in Canada outside Quebec (27% and 22%) than in Quebec (7% and 6%). A higher proportion of French-speaking young adults aged 18 to 24 gave one of these two reasons (37% and 35%) for their reluctance to use French in Canada outside Quebec.
2.3 Perceived discrimination based on language
In Canada, one in four adults in the OLM population (25%) consider they were discriminated against or treated unfairly based on their use of the minority official language in the five years preceding the survey. This proportion was higher in Quebec (36%) than in Canada outside Quebec (13%).
Experiences perceived as linguistic discrimination occurred in a variety of contexts. For example, among English-speaking adults in Quebec, more than half (57%) had such experiences in a number of contexts. Chart 2.3 shows that the most common contexts were personal business, such as banking or shopping (68%), followed by work (36%) and consulting a medical professional (30%).
Data table for Chart 2.3
| Quebec | Canada outside Quebec | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Percentage | 95% confidence interval | Percentage | 95% confidence interval | |||
| lower bound | upper bound | lower bound | upper bound | |||
| Note: Among adults who reported having experienced unfair treatment or discrimination due to language in the past five years.
Source: Statistics Canada, Survey on the Official Language Minority Population, 2022. |
||||||
| At work | 36 | 32.0 | 39.2 | 46 | 41.4 | 50.7 |
| While conducting personal business (e.g., banking, shopping) | 68 | 64.8 | 71.7 | 45 | 40.5 | 50.2 |
| With friends | 11 | 8.6 | 13.6 | 22 | 17.9 | 25.7 |
| While participating in organized sporting or non-sporting activities | 17 | 14.0 | 19.7 | 16 | 13.1 | 19.8 |
| While consulting a medical professional | 30 | 26.6 | 33.5 | 13 | 10.4 | 17.2 |
| At school | 11 | 9.2 | 13.5 | 10 | 7.7 | 13.5 |
| While receiving services at home (e.g., plumbing, cable installation) | 18 | 14.7 | 20.9 | 9 | 6.3 | 11.7 |
| Other context | 23 | 19.8 | 25.9 | 17 | 14.0 | 21.0 |
In Canada outside Quebec, less than half (46%) of French-speaking adults who considered they were discriminated against or treated unfairly based on language had these experiences in more than one context. The most common ones were work (46%), personal business (45%) and with friends (22%).
Children in a minority situation also perceived discrimination or unfair treatment based on language. The proportion of parents whose child had such experiences was higher in Quebec (12%) than in Canada outside Quebec (3%).
In Quebec, children in a minority situation who experienced linguistic discrimination experienced it mainly at school (50%) or while participating in organized activities (37%). In Canada outside Quebec, the main contexts where children in a minority situation experienced linguistic discrimination were at school (58%E), with friends (36%E) and while participating in organized activities (36%E).
3. Arts, culture and media, sense of belonging and vitality, participation and migration
The survey also had questions on different aspects of the interactions of adults or children with the official language minority community. For example, the questions touched on performances and arts events presented in the minority official language, media and cultural consumption, sense of belonging to the official language groups, the perceived local vitality of the minority language, participation in activities of the local language community, and the minority population’s intentions of moving.
3.1 Performances and arts events
In Quebec, approximately one-quarter of English-speaking adults (26%) and children (23%) attended an English-language performance or arts event at least once in the 12 months preceding the survey (Chart 3.1). A total of 34% of adults had attended performances or arts events, which were always or often offered in English in their community (37% among those living in the Montréal area and 21% among those living in the rest of Quebec).
Data table for Chart 3.1
| Adults in the official language minority population | Children in the official language minority population | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Percentage | 95% confidence interval | Percentage | 95% confidence interval | |||
| lower bound | upper bound | lower bound | upper bound | |||
Source: Statistics Canada, Survey on the Official Language Minority Population, 2022. |
||||||
| Quebec | 26 | 23.8 | 28.7 | 23 | 20.9 | 25.1 |
| Canada outside Quebec | 26 | 23.9 | 27.4 | 29 | 26.8 | 31.0 |
| New Brunswick | 39 | 35.6 | 43.3 | 51 | 47.8 | 54.5 |
| Rest of Atlantic | 30 | 26.2 | 34.6 | 34 E use with caution | 24.6 | 45.0 |
| Ontario | 19 | 16.4 | 20.9 | 25 | 22.4 | 28.6 |
| Western provinces | 23 | 19.2 | 26.6 | 25 | 20.8 | 28.7 |
| Territorial capitals | 41 | 35.0 | 46.7 | 38 | 32.7 | 42.6 |
In Canada outside Quebec, a similar proportion of French-speaking adults (26%) and children (29%) attended performances or arts events in French at least once in the previous year. These proportions were higher in New Brunswick (39% for adults and 51% for children) and in the territory capitals (41% and 38%) and lower in Ontario (19% and 25%) and in the western provinces (23% and 25%).
The cultural offering of French-language performances and arts events varied by region. Overall, 66% of adults in New Brunswick had attended such events, which were always or often presented in French in their community, compared with 32% in the other Atlantic provinces, 28% in the territory capitals, 26% in Ontario, and 10% in the western provinces.
In both Quebec and Canada outside Quebec, the proportion of adults who had attended at least one performance or arts event in the minority language in the 12 months preceding the survey was lower in 2022 (26%) than in 2006 (38% in Quebec and 32% in Canada outside Quebec). It should be noted that the 12-month period preceding the 2022 survey was marked by the COVID-19 pandemic, at which time there were restrictions on gatherings. In fact, 47% of adults attended fewer performances or arts events because of the COVID-19 pandemic, regardless of language. However, among adults whose attendance at performances or arts events had not changed during the COVID-19 pandemic, the attendance rates to events in the minority official language were similar to those observed in 2006 (37% in Quebec and 33% in Canada outside Quebec).
3.2 Media and individual cultural practices
According to the 2022 survey results, English-speaking adults in Quebec and, to a lesser extent, their children used English more to consult media and for cultural consumption than in 2006. In Canada outside Quebec, French was less commonly used than English among French-speaking people, especially among children. However, the use of French for consulting certain media has increased among this population since 2006.
In Quebec, the vast majority of English-speaking adults primarily used English to consult the Internet (88%) and social media (85%), to watch television (85%), to listen to the radio or podcasts (83%), or to read books (85%) or newspapers (77%). A small proportion of people (5% or less) did not use English in these contexts.
Among English-speaking adults in Quebec, there was an increase in the use of English as the main language to read newspapers (from 63% in 2006 to 77% in 2022), listen to the radio (from 73% to 83%), watch television (from 79% to 85%), read books (from 78% to 85%) and use the Internet (from 83% to 88%) from 2006. Use of English only (with no use of French) showed the largest increase.
These proportions were lower for children (Charts 3.2.1 and 3.2.2). Just over two-thirds of children in a minority situation in Quebec primarily used English to consult the Internet (70%), social media (68%) and to watch television (69%), and half to read books (50%).
Data table for Chart 3.2.1
| Minority language only | More minority language than majority language | Minority language and majority language equally | More majority language than minority language | Majority language only | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Percentage | 95% confidence interval | Percentage | 95% confidence interval | Percentage | 95% confidence interval | Percentage | 95% confidence interval | Percentage | 95% confidence interval | ||||||
| lower bound | upper bound | lower bound | upper bound | lower bound | upper bound | lower bound | upper bound | lower bound | upper bound | ||||||
| Note: Excludes children who used neither English nor French.
Source: Statistics Canada, Survey on the Official Language Minority Population, 2022. |
|||||||||||||||
| Quebec | 44 | 42.0 | 46.8 | 24 | 21.9 | 26.1 | 16 | 14.0 | 18.2 | 8 | 6.5 | 9.8 | 8 | 6.2 | 9.3 |
| Canada outside Quebec | 2 | 1.4 | 2.3 | 3 | 2.1 | 2.9 | 6 | 5.2 | 7.7 | 18 | 16.5 | 20.3 | 71 | 68.8 | 73.2 |
| New Brunswick | 10 | 7.8 | 12.8 | 13 | 10.7 | 16.5 | 18 | 14.8 | 21.0 | 28 | 24.2 | 31.4 | 31 | 27.9 | 34.9 |
| Ontario | 1 | 0.7 | 1.6 | 2 | 1.2 | 2.4 | 6 | 4.4 | 8.2 | 18 | 15.1 | 20.4 | 74 | 70.3 | 76.5 |
| Western provinces | 1 | 0.6 | 2.2 | 1 | 0.6 | 1.8 | 4 | 2.9 | 6.0 | 17 | 13.5 | 20.7 | 77 | 72.8 | 80.4 |
Data table for Chart 3.2.2
| Minority language only | More minority language than majority language | Minority language and majority language equally | More majority language than minority language | Majority language only | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Percentage | 95% confidence interval | Percentage | 95% confidence interval | Percentage | 95% confidence interval | Percentage | 95% confidence interval | Percentage | 95% confidence interval | ||||||
| lower bound | upper bound | lower bound | upper bound | lower bound | upper bound | lower bound | upper bound | lower bound | upper bound | ||||||
| Note: Excludes children who used neither English nor French.
Source: Statistics Canada, Survey on the Official Language Minority Population, 2022. |
|||||||||||||||
| Quebec | 26 | 24.1 | 27.7 | 25 | 23.0 | 26.5 | 23 | 20.8 | 24.7 | 15 | 13.1 | 16.4 | 12 | 10.6 | 13.6 |
| Canada outside Quebec | 6 | 5.1 | 6.1 | 9 | 7.7 | 9.8 | 14 | 13.0 | 16.0 | 23 | 21.1 | 24.9 | 48 | 45.9 | 50.8 |
| New Brunswick | 25 | 22.6 | 28.1 | 25 | 22.0 | 27.7 | 17 | 14.8 | 19.9 | 16 | 14.2 | 18.9 | 16 | 14.2 | 18.9 |
| Ontario | 5 | 3.9 | 5.4 | 8 | 6.9 | 10.1 | 15 | 13.0 | 17.4 | 23 | 20.1 | 25.4 | 49 | 46.0 | 52.7 |
| Western provinces | 3 | 1.8 | 3.6 | 5 | 3.9 | 6.1 | 12 | 9.9 | 14.6 | 25 | 21.8 | 28.3 | 56 | 51.7 | 59.4 |
In Canada outside Quebec, about one in six French-speaking adults used French more than English to consult media and for cultural consumption. However, at least 6 in 10 people used French, alone or together with English, in these activities. For example, 60% used French to consult the Internet (12% used it mainly), 60% to consult social media (13% used it mainly), 67% to watch television (14% used it mainly), 62% to listen to the radio or podcasts (16% used it mainly), 61% to read books (19% used it mainly) and 60% to read newspapers (18% used it mainly).
From 2006 to 2022, an increase was noted in the proportion of French-speaking adults who used French, alone or together with English, to read newspapers (from 44% in 2006 to 60% in 2022) and to listen to the radio (from 54% to 62%). The use of French did not change significantly for the other media and individual cultural practices covered in the 2006 survey, such as reading books, watching television and using the Internet.
Among children in a minority situation in Canada outside Quebec, 29% used French, alone or together with English, on social media (4% used it mainly), 37% on the Internet (5% used it mainly), 44% to watch television (6% used it mainly) and 51% to read books (14% used it mainly).
As with attendance at live performances or arts events (see Section 3.1), the use of languages to consult media and in cultural activities tended to vary by region. For example, among French-speaking children, use of French was more common in New Brunswick than in the rest of Canada outside Quebec, be it to consult social media (69% used French, alone or together with English, and 23% used it mainly) or to read books (84% and 50%).
3.3 Sense of belonging to official language groups and perceived vitality of the minority official language
In Quebec, approximately 6 in 10 English-speaking adults (62%) identified primarily with the English-speaking or anglophone group, that is, they identified only or mainly with this group (Chart 3.3). Approximately one-quarter of English-speaking adults (24%) identified with both official language groups (i.e., anglophone and francophone) equally, and 6% identified mainly with the francophone group. The remaining English-speaking adults (8%) did not identify with either official language group.
Data table for Chart 3.3
| Only with the minority group | Mainly with the minority group | With both groups equally | Mainly with the majority group | Only with the majority group | With neither group | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Percentage | 95% confidence interval | Percentage | 95% confidence interval | Percentage | 95% confidence interval | Percentage | 95% confidence interval | Percentage | 95% confidence interval | Percentage | 95% confidence interval | |||||||
| lower bound | upper bound | lower bound | upper bound | lower bound | upper bound | lower bound | upper bound | lower bound | upper bound | lower bound | upper bound | |||||||
| Source: Statistics Canada, Survey on the Official Language Minority Population, 2022. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Quebec | 27 | 25.2 | 28.9 | 35 | 33.0 | 37.1 | 24 | 21.9 | 25.5 | 5 | 4.5 | 6.2 | 1 | 0.6 | 1.4 | 8 | 7.0 | 9.4 |
| Canada outside Quebec | 12 | 11.0 | 13.0 | 21 | 19.2 | 21.9 | 40 | 38.1 | 41.3 | 18 | 16.7 | 19.2 | 4 | 3.6 | 5.0 | 6 | 4.8 | 6.5 |
| New Brunswick | 28 | 24.7 | 30.8 | 31 | 28.0 | 34.2 | 34 | 30.7 | 36.6 | 4 | 2.8 | 4.5 | 1 | 0.3 | 1.1 | 4 | 2.6 | 5.0 |
| Other Atlantic provinces | 9 | 6.8 | 11.3 | 20 | 17.0 | 23.4 | 48 | 44.2 | 52.6 | 16 | 13.5 | 19.8 | 3 | 1.9 | 5.0 | 3 | 2.1 | 5.0 |
| Ontario | 9 | 7.7 | 10.3 | 20 | 17.8 | 21.6 | 42 | 39.3 | 44.1 | 20 | 17.8 | 21.7 | 4 | 3.3 | 5.4 | 6 | 4.8 | 7.3 |
| Manitoba | 7 | 4.6 | 9.9 | 15 | 11.7 | 19.7 | 41 | 35.1 | 46.8 | 26 | 20.2 | 31.9 | 5 | 2.3 | 8.6 | 7 | 4.1 | 12.0 |
| Other Western provinces | 5 | 3.2 | 7.2 | 12 | 9.7 | 14.8 | 39 | 34.9 | 42.7 | 28 | 24.9 | 32.0 | 9 | 7.0 | 11.2 | 7 | 5.2 | 10.0 |
From 2006 to 2022, the proportion of English-speaking adults who identified mainly with the English-speaking or anglophone group increased (from 52% to 62%), as did the proportion of those who did not identify with either official language group (from 2% to 8%). Conversely, a drop was observed in the proportion of adults who identified with both groups equally (from 39% to 24%).
In Canada outside Quebec, one-third (33%) of French-speaking adults identified mainly with the French-speaking or francophone group. In total, 4 in 10 French-speaking adults (40%) identified with both groups equally, and about 2 in 10 adults (22%) identified mainly with the English-speaking or anglophone group. Finally, 6% of adults did not identify with either official language group.
The proportion of French-speaking adults who identified with both official language groups equally declined (from 49% in 2006 to 40% in 2022) and, to a lesser extent, the proportion of those who identified with the French-speaking or francophone group (from 35% to 33%). In contrast, increases were observed for those who identified mainly with the English-speaking or anglophone group (from 15% to 22%) or those who did not identify with either of the two official language groups (from 1% to 6%).
In 2022, the proportion of French-speaking adults in Canada outside Quebec who identified mainly with the francophone group was higher in New Brunswick (59%) and lower in the western provinces of British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan (17%). In these western provinces, more than one-third (37%) identified mainly with the English-speaking or anglophone group.
In addition to the sense of belonging to official language groups, the local presence of the minority official language may provide an indication of the perceived vitality of this language. In Quebec, approximately 1 in 5 English-speaking adults (18%) felt that the presence of English in their municipality had increased over the 10 years preceding the survey, while 2 in 5 adults considered that the presence of the minority official language remained the same (41%) or decreased (41%). The proportion of people who felt that the presence of English in their community had decreased in the decade preceding the survey was slightly higher in 2022 than in 2006 (37%).
In Canada outside Quebec, approximately 1 in 6 French-speaking adults (16%) felt that the presence of French in their municipality had increased over the 10 years preceding the survey, more than half of adults (56%) felt that the presence of the minority official language had remained the same, and over a quarter (28%) felt that it had decreased. The proportion of those who felt that the presence of French had decreased in the decade preceding the survey was higher than in 2006 (20%).
In both Quebec and Canada outside Quebec, adults in the OLM population generally believe that over the next 10 years, the presence of the minority official language in their municipality will change the same way it has over the past 10 years.
3.4 Community participation
In Quebec, about one-quarter (24%) of English-language adults participated strongly or very strongly in the activities of the local English-speaking community. In total, 77% participated in activities in their language community to some extent.
Participation in community activities varied by the official language group with which individuals identified most (see Chart 3.4.1 and Section 3.3). As a result, 7% of individuals who identified mainly with the majority French-speaking group in Quebec participated strongly or very strongly in activities of the local English-speaking community, compared with 24% of those who identified equally with the two groups and 28% of those who identified mainly with the English-speaking group.
Data table for Chart 3.4.1
| Strong or very strong participation | Neither strong nor weak participation | Weak or very weak participation | No participation | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Percentage | 95% confidence interval | Percentage | 95% confidence interval | Percentage | 95% confidence interval | Percentage | 95% confidence interval | |||||
| lower bound | upper bound | lower bound | upper bound | lower bound | upper bound | lower bound | upper bound | |||||
|
||||||||||||
| Total | 24 | 22.7 | 26.3 | 37 | 35.4 | 39.5 | 15 | 13.5 | 16.6 | 23 | 21.5 | 25.0 |
| Minority language group only or mainly | 28 | 25.9 | 30.6 | 39 | 36.3 | 41.5 | 13 | 11.0 | 14.6 | 20 | 18.2 | 22.6 |
| Both groups equally | 24 | 20.6 | 28.2 | 37 | 32.4 | 40.8 | 15 | 12.4 | 18.4 | 24 | 20.5 | 28.1 |
| Majority language group only or mainly | 7 | 3.5 | 12.0 | 30 E use with caution | 22.4 | 38.2 | 33 E use with caution | 25.8 | 41.0 | 31 E use with caution | 23.7 | 39.0 |
In Canada outside Quebec, 22% of French-speaking adults participated strongly or very strongly in the activities of the local French-speaking community, and 71% participated in activities of their language community to some extent (Chart 3.4.2). The proportion of French-speaking people who reported high or very high participation in the activities of their local French-speaking community was highest in New Brunswick (42%) and lowest in the western provinces (13%).
Data table for Chart 3.4.2
| Strong or very strong participation | Neither strong nor weak participation | Weak or very weak participation | No participation | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Percentage | 95% confidence interval | Percentage | 95% confidence interval | Percentage | 95% confidence interval | Percentage | 95% confidence interval | |||||
| lower bound | upper bound | lower bound | upper bound | lower bound | upper bound | lower bound | upper bound | |||||
| Source: Statistics Canada, Survey on the Official Language Minority Population, 2022. | ||||||||||||
| Total | 22 | 20.8 | 23.3 | 27 | 25.7 | 28.7 | 22 | 20.5 | 23.2 | 29 | 27.5 | 30.5 |
| Minority language group only or mainly | 41 | 38.7 | 43.9 | 30 | 27.8 | 33.2 | 17 | 14.5 | 18.9 | 12 | 9.8 | 14.0 |
| Both groups equally | 18 | 16.1 | 19.9 | 33 | 30.5 | 35.5 | 23 | 20.8 | 25.0 | 26 | 24.0 | 28.7 |
| Majority language group only or mainly | 4 | 2.7 | 5.6 | 14 | 11.9 | 17.0 | 30 | 27.0 | 33.6 | 52 | 47.9 | 55.3 |
Those who identified mainly with the French-speaking group were more likely (41%) to participate strongly or very strongly in the activities of the French-speaking community than those who identified with both groups equally (18%) and those who identified mainly with the English-speaking group (4%). Among those who identified mainly with the English-speaking group, just over half (52%) never participated in the activities of the local French-speaking community.
3.5 Migration since birth and intentions to leave
Among people in a minority situation in Canada, 19% were born in a different province or territory from their province of residence (11% of English-speaking people in Quebec and 28% of French-speaking people in Canada outside Quebec). Moreover, 31% were born outside Canada (45% and 16%).
In Canada, 11% of adults in the OLM population were thinking about moving from their province or territory of residence to another province, territory or country in the next five years.
More specifically, 14% of English-speaking people who lived in Quebec reported intending to move (11% planned to move to another province or territory and 3%E to another country), as well as 8% of the French-speaking population in Canada outside Quebec (7% planned to move to another province or territory and 2%E to another country).
Overall, the proportion of English-speaking adults in Quebec who were planning to move out of their province was slightly higher in 2022 (14%) than in 2006 (11%). This proportion remained unchanged for French-speaking adults in Canada outside Quebec.
Generally speaking, the younger the person, the more likely they are to consider leaving their province or territory of residence. For example, 28% of English-speaking young adults aged 18 to 24 in Quebec and 23% of French-speaking young adults in Canada outside Quebec were planning on moving out of their province or territory in the next five years, compared with 6% and 2%, respectively, of those aged 65 and older.
Among French-speaking people in Canada outside Quebec, those who were born in their province or territory of residence at the time of the survey were less likely (5%) to intend to move over the next five years than those who were born in a different province or territory (11%) or outside Canada (15%). The survey data did not show similar differences by place of birth among English-speaking people in Quebec.
These individuals in a minority situation who were thinking of leaving their province or territory over the next five years had various reasons for their intentions to move (Chart 3.5).
Data table for Chart 3.5
| Quebec | Canada outside Quebec | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Percentage | 95% confidence interval | Percentage | 95% confidence interval | |||
| lower bound | upper bound | lower bound | upper bound | |||
| For job | 37 | 30.8 | 42.6 | 46 | 40.1 | 52.6 |
| For family | 22 | 16.9 | 27.1 | 23 | 19.1 | 28.1 |
| To live in a more francophone environment | Note ...: not applicable | Note ...: not applicable | Note ...: not applicable | 20 | 14.9 | 26.4 |
| For the person’s education | 15 | 11.1 | 19.2 | 15 | 11.4 | 18.5 |
| For retirement | 10 | 7.3 | 12.7 | 12 | 8.1 | 16.8 |
| To travel | 11 | 7.8 | 14.6 | 12 | 8.7 | 15.2 |
| To return to birthplace or parents’ place | 4 | 2.5 | 7.0 | 5 | 3.3 | 7.9 |
| Because of a political situation | 37 | 30.9 | 43.0 | 5 | 3.0 | 8.2 |
| To live in a more anglophone environment | 59 | 52.7 | 64.1 | 3 | 0.9 | 9.7 |
|
... not applicable Note: Among adults who anticipated moving out of their province or territory of residence in the next five years. Source: Statistics Canada, Survey on the Official Language Minority Population, 2022. |
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The most common reasons for English speakers who were thinking of leaving Quebec over the next five years were wanting to live in a more English environment (59%), followed by the political situation (37%), work (36%) and family (22%). Among French speakers in Canada outside Quebec who intended to leave their province or territory, the most common reasons were work (46%), family (23%) and wanting to live in a more French environment (20%).
4. Use of official languages at work and in the public sphere
The survey collected detailed information on the use of the minority languages in various situations. For example, information was collected on the use of languages at work, during interactions with neighbours, in stores, when having discussions in the public sphere, or during recreational activities and sports.
4.1 Minority official languages at work
In Canada outside Quebec, nearly half (48%) of French-speaking adults who were employed used French at work regularly. Of this proportion, more than a quarter (27%) primarily used French.
In Quebec, over four in five English-speaking adults (82%) who were employed used English regularly at work and 60% used it primarily.
These proportions were much higher among adults who considered the minority official language their preferred language of work.
Among those in Canada outside Quebec whose preferred language of work was French, 82% used it regularly at work and 62% used it primarily at work (Chart 4.1), compared with 24% and 3%, respectively, for those whose preferred language of work was English.
Data table for Chart 4.1
| Minority language used mainlyNote 1 | Minority language used regularly, but not mainlyNote 2 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Percentage | 95% confidence interval | Percentage | 95% confidence interval | |||
| lower bound | upper bound | lower bound | upper bound | |||
Source: Statistics Canada, Survey on the Official Language Minority Population, 2022. |
||||||
| Quebec | ||||||
| Total | 60 | 57.2 | 62.2 | 22 | 19.6 | 24.2 |
| Preference for the minority language |
73 | 70.2 | 75.4 | 18 | 16.2 | 20.9 |
| Preference for the majority language |
4 | 2.7 | 6.9 | 34 | 28.0 | 40.0 |
| Canada outside Quebec | ||||||
| Total | 27 | 25.7 | 29.0 | 21 | 19.4 | 22.8 |
| Preference for the minority language |
62 | 59.1 | 65.0 | 20 | 17.7 | 22.9 |
| Preference for the majority language |
3 | 2.6 | 4.5 | 21 | 19.0 | 23.3 |
In Quebec, among people whose preferred language was English, 91% used it regularly at work and 73% used it primarily at work. This compares with 38% and 4%, respectively, for those whose preferred language of work was French.
Both in Quebec and in Canada outside Quebec, those who would prefer to use the minority official language at work, but for whom it was not the primary language of work, did not feel comfortable using that language at work for various reasons. For example, some or most of their colleagues did not understand the minority official language (66% in Quebec and 72%E in Canada outside Quebec) or the common working language was the majority official language (75%E in Quebec and 61%E in Canada outside Quebec).
Use of the minority official language at work varied relatively little based on work situations. Adults in the OLM population used the minority official language to speak with their colleagues about work (83% in Quebec and 48% in Canada outside Quebec), chat with them during breaks (83% and 47%), speak on the phone or in person with people who were not part of their business or organization (85% and 47%), write documents or email (83% and 41%) or participate in meetings (81% and 41%). Employees used the minority official language a bit less often with their supervisor (79% in Quebec and 39% in Canada outside Quebec) than supervisors with the employees they were supervising (82% and 43%). Lastly, the minority official language tended to be less commonly used as the main language when speaking with people who were not part of their business or organization (52% in Quebec and 17% in Canada outside Quebec).
In addition, 20% of adults in the OLM population who applied for a job or promotion in the two years preceding the survey felt that they did not get it for language-related reasons. More specifically, this percentage was 28% in Quebec and 9% in Canada outside Quebec. Across Canada, this percentage was higher among those who did not know the majority official language well enough to conduct a conversation (50%E).
4.2 Language used in the public sphere, outside work
In Quebec, 58% of English-speaking adults used English daily in the public sphere outside work, with people other than family or friends (Chart 4.2). In particular, 80% of adults in Quebec used English in the public sphere daily or a few times a week, while 9% used it a few times a year or never.
Data table for Chart 4.2
| Every day | A few times a week | A few times a month | A few times a year | Never | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Percentage | 95% confidence interval | Percentage | 95% confidence interval | Percentage | 95% confidence interval | Percentage | 95% confidence interval | Percentage | 95% confidence interval | ||||||
| lower bound | upper bound | lower bound | upper bound | lower bound | upper bound | lower bound | upper bound | lower bound | upper bound | ||||||
| Quebec | 58 | 55.6 | 59.9 | 23 | 20.8 | 24.5 | 11 | 9.7 | 12.4 | 6 | 4.9 | 6.8 | 3 | 2.1 | 3.7 |
| Montreal region | 60 | 57.4 | 62.6 | 23 | 20.8 | 25.2 | 10 | 8.9 | 12.1 | 5 | 3.5 | 5.7 | 2 | 1.5 | 3.3 |
| Rest of Quebec | 48 | 45.4 | 50.6 | 21 | 19.2 | 23.7 | 14 | 11.7 | 15.5 | 12 | 10.0 | 13.6 | 5 | 4.4 | 6.6 |
| Canada outside Quebec | 32 | 31.0 | 33.3 | 18 | 17.0 | 19.3 | 17 | 15.4 | 18.0 | 20 | 18.6 | 21.2 | 13 | 12.2 | 14.4 |
| New Brunswick | 73 | 69.9 | 74.9 | 14 | 12.1 | 16.2 | 8 | 6.2 | 9.3 | 4 | 2.8 | 4.8 | 2 | 1.6 | 3.0 |
| Rest of the Atlantic | 39 | 35.2 | 42.8 | 15 | 12.1 | 18.0 | 16 | 12.9 | 19.1 | 20 | 17.2 | 23.9 | 10 | 7.9 | 13.0 |
| Ontario | 26 | 24.6 | 28.2 | 21 | 19.7 | 23.2 | 20 | 17.6 | 21.6 | 20 | 17.7 | 21.8 | 13 | 11.5 | 14.9 |
| Western provinces | 7 | 5.5 | 8.3 | 14 | 11.9 | 16.8 | 18 | 15.8 | 21.2 | 36 | 32.6 | 39.3 | 25 | 22.0 | 27.9 |
| Territorial capitals | 13 | 9.9 | 17.3 | 23 | 19.0 | 28.2 | 29 | 23.8 | 33.6 | 23 | 18.5 | 27.7 | 12 | 9.2 | 16.4 |
|
Note: Refers to the use of languages in the public space, outside work or home, with people other than family or friends. Source: Statistics Canada, Survey on the Official Language Minority Population, 2022. |
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The use of the minority official language in the public sphere was slightly more common in the Montréal area than in the rest of Quebec. In the Montréal area, 83% of English-speaking people used English in the public sphere daily or a few times a week, compared with 69% in the rest of the province. Among English-speaking adults living in the Montréal area, 7%E never used English in the public sphere or used it a few times a year, compared with 17% in the rest of the province.
The majority of English-speaking adults in Quebec used English, either alone or with French, when speaking with their closest neighbours (83%), speaking with people they met in public places (91%), buying a product or receiving a service or care in person (85%) or making online purchases (97%). They also used this language in conversations where detailed or in-depth knowledge is shared (92%) or to participate in the organization of a group activity (90%) or at public meetings (84%).
About half of English-speaking adults in Quebec predominantly used English (i.e., more frequently than French) in different types of interactions in the public sphere. The predominant use of English was most common in conversations with their closest neighbours (55%).
The proportion of English-speaking adults in Quebec who mainly used English in conversations with their closest neighbours rose from 51% in 2006 to 55% in 2022. Similarly, the proportion of those who mainly used English in stores increased from 37% in 2006 to 43% in 2022.
In Canada outside Quebec, about one-third (32%) of French-speaking adults used French daily in the public sphere outside work, with people other than family or friends, while another third (33%) used French a few times a year or never. Half (50%) of adults used French in the public sphere daily or a few times a week. This proportion varied greatly by region. For example, it was higher in New Brunswick (87%) and Ontario (48%), and lower in the western provinces (21%) and territory capitals (36%).
About half of French-speaking adults in Canada outside Quebec used French, either alone or with English, when speaking with their closest neighbours (50%), speaking with people they met in public places (60%), buying a product or receiving a service or care in person (52%) or making online purchases (47%). They also used French in conversations where detailed or in-depth knowledge is shared (54%) or to participate in the organization of a group activity (52%) or at public meetings (49%).
Approximately one-quarter (26%) of French-speaking adults in Canada outside Quebec used French more than English when speaking with their closest neighbours, and over one in six adults used French more when speaking with people they met in public places (18%) or buying a product or receiving a service or care in person (18%).
The proportion of French-speaking adults in Canada outside Quebec who never used French when speaking with their closest neighbours increased from 45% in 2006 to 50% in 2022. The proportion of adults who mainly used French in stores fell from 20% in 2006 to 18% in 2022.
4.3 Recreational activities and sports
In Quebec, 43% of English-speaking adults who participated in recreational activities or organized sports used English only in these activities (Chart 4.3). In total, two-thirds (66%) of people used English only or English more than French in these activities, while 13% used French only or French more than English.
Data table for Chart 4.3
| Minority language only | More minority language than majority language | Minority language and majority language equally | More majority language than minority language | Majority language only | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Percentage | 95% confidence interval | Percentage | 95% confidence interval | Percentage | 95% confidence interval | Percentage | 95% confidence interval | Percentage | 95% confidence interval | ||||||
| lower bound | upper bound | lower bound | upper bound | lower bound | upper bound | lower bound | upper bound | lower bound | upper bound | ||||||
| Note: Excludes adults and children who used neither English nor French.
Source: Statistics Canada, Survey on the Official Language Minority Population, 2022. |
|||||||||||||||
| Quebec | |||||||||||||||
| Adults | 43 | 41.2 | 45.6 | 24 | 21.6 | 25.7 | 20 | 17.5 | 21.6 | 10 | 8.2 | 11.4 | 4 | 3.1 | 4.9 |
| Children | 19 | 17.4 | 20.7 | 19 | 17.5 | 20.7 | 22 | 19.8 | 23.3 | 21 | 18.7 | 22.5 | 20 | 18.3 | 21.7 |
| Canada outside Quebec | |||||||||||||||
| Adults | 9 | 8.2 | 10.1 | 9 | 8.2 | 10.3 | 15 | 14.2 | 16.7 | 24 | 22.7 | 25.9 | 42 | 40.3 | 43.8 |
| Children | 3 | 2.9 | 3.7 | 5 | 4.2 | 5.1 | 8 | 7.4 | 9.2 | 19 | 17.6 | 20.8 | 65 | 62.9 | 66.5 |
Compared with adults, children in a minority situation in Quebec were less likely to use English only or English more than French (38%) when participating in recreational activities or organized sports, and a higher proportion used French only or French more than English (40%). More than half of English-speaking children (61%) and adults (52%) in Quebec used both English and French when participating in these activities.
In Canada outside Quebec, 18% of adults who participated in recreational activities or organized sports used French only or French more than English in these activities, while 66% used English only or English more than French.
Approximately a third (32%) of children in a minority situation in Canada outside Quebec used both English and French in these activities, about two-thirds (65%) used English only, and 3% used French only. In total, 84% of children used English only or English more than French when participating in sports or leisure activities, while 8% used French only or French more than English.
In both Quebec and Canada outside Quebec, adults were more likely than children to use the minority official language when participating in recreational activities or organized sports.
5. Access to services in the minority official language
Another important aspect of the situation of official language minority populations is the availability and use of services in the minority official language as well as access to these services. This includes getting information, government services and health care and services, as well as interactions with representatives of the justice system, such as the police, and access to assistance in the minority official language to facilitate the integration of new immigrants in the community. The information collected by the survey can be useful for various stakeholders in planning services for the public in the minority official language.
5.1 Services from federal, provincial, territorial and municipal governments
In Quebec, almost all (96%) English-speaking adults who contacted the federal government for services or information in the two years preceding the survey were able to use English (Chart 5.1). More specifically, nearly three-quarters (73%) were always or often served in English, and less than a quarter (22%) sometimes or rarely.
Data table for Chart 5.1
| Always | Often | Sometimes | Rarely | Never | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Percentage | 95% confidence interval | Percentage | 95% confidence interval | Percentage | 95% confidence interval | Percentage | 95% confidence interval | Percentage | 95% confidence interval | ||||||
| lower bound | upper bound | lower bound | upper bound | lower bound | upper bound | lower bound | upper bound | lower bound | upper bound | ||||||
| Note: Among English-speaking adults in Quebec and French-speaking adults outside Quebec, who communicated with a government employee to obtain a service or information.
Source: Statistics Canada, Survey on the Official Language Minority Population, 2022. |
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| Quebec | |||||||||||||||
| Federal | 52 | 49.3 | 54.0 | 22 | 19.8 | 23.6 | 16 | 14.2 | 17.7 | 6 | 5.3 | 7.7 | 5 | 3.6 | 5.5 |
| Provincial or territorial | 26 | 24.1 | 28.0 | 19 | 17.3 | 20.8 | 22 | 20.4 | 24.3 | 19 | 17.4 | 21.1 | 14 | 12.0 | 15.3 |
| Municipal | 28 | 25.8 | 29.8 | 20 | 18.1 | 22.0 | 21 | 19.3 | 23.0 | 18 | 16.1 | 20.2 | 13 | 11.5 | 14.9 |
| Canada outside Quebec | |||||||||||||||
| Federal | 25 | 23.2 | 26.3 | 17 | 15.8 | 18.5 | 19 | 17.3 | 20.2 | 14 | 12.4 | 15.1 | 26 | 24.2 | 27.4 |
| Provincial or territorial | 20 | 18.6 | 21.2 | 14 | 12.9 | 15.2 | 17 | 16.0 | 18.8 | 16 | 14.7 | 17.5 | 33 | 31.1 | 34.3 |
| Municipal | 22 | 20.7 | 23.3 | 14 | 12.9 | 15.2 | 14 | 12.4 | 14.8 | 16 | 14.1 | 17.1 | 35 | 33.2 | 36.7 |
In Canada outside Quebec, close to three-quarters (74%) of French-speaking adults who contacted the federal government for services or information in the two years preceding the survey were able to use French. Less than half (42%) were always or often served in French, and about a third (32%) sometimes or rarely.
Overall, access to provincial, territorial, and municipal government services in the minority official language was lower, although it remains higher in Quebec than in Canada outside Quebec.
In Quebec, the vast majority of English-speaking adults who contacted a provincial or municipal government for services or information were able to receive services in English (86% and 87%, respectively) in the two years preceding the survey. About half always or often received service in English from their province (45%) or municipality (48%), and the other half received service in English either sometimes or rarely (42% from the provincial government and 39% from the municipal government) or never (14% and 13%).
In Quebec, a decrease was observed in the proportion of English-speaking adults who had always or often been able to use French with the federal government in the two years preceding the survey (from 78% in 2006 to 73% in 2022). Access to English-language services offered by the provincial and municipal governments in Quebec did not change significantly, except for a slight decrease in the proportion of adults who could never receive services in English from a provincial government employee (from 17% in 2006 to 14% in 2022).
In Canada outside Quebec, two-thirds of French-speaking adults who contacted a provincial, territorial, or municipal government to receive services or information were able to receive service in French by a provincial or territorial (67%) or municipal (65%) government employee in the two years preceding the survey. One-third of adults always or often received service in French from their province or territory (34%) or municipality (36%), another third, sometimes or rarely (33% at the provincial or territorial level and 29% at the municipal level), and the last third, never (33% and 35%).
In Canada outside Quebec, access to French-language government services decreased from 2006 to 2022 at all three levels of government, in particular in the federal and provincial or territorial governments.
For example, the proportion of people who have always or often been able to receive service in French from federal employees decreased from 60% in 2006 to 42% in 2022 in Canada outside Quebec. As a result, the proportion of individuals who sometimes or rarely received service in French increased (from 26% to 33%), as well as the proportion of people who never received service in French (from 14% to 24%).
Similarly, the proportion of French-speaking people who have always or often been able to receive service in French from provincial or territorial employees fell from 49% in 2006 to 34% in 2022, while the proportion of those who have sometimes or rarely (27% to 34%) or never (24% to 31%) been able to receive service in French increased. Declines in the proportion of those who have always or often been able to receive service in French were observed in Manitoba (from 38% in 2006 to 19% in 2022), Ontario (from 46% to 31%), Newfoundland and Labrador (from 19% to 6%) and New Brunswick (from 81% to 71%). There was no significant increase in access to services in French provided by this level of government in any province or territory.
In Canada outside Quebec, the proportion of people who have always or often been able to receive service in French from municipal employees decreased from 44% in 2006 to 36% in 2022, while the proportion of those who sometimes or rarely received service in French posted a similar increase.
5.2 Health care or services
The vast majority of adults in the OLM population felt it was important to receive health care or services in English in Quebec (90%) and, to a lesser extent, in French in Canada outside Quebec (65%). Men were slightly less likely (76%) than women (80%) to find that access to these services in the minority official language was important, both in Quebec (88% for men compared with 93% for women) and in Canada outside Quebec (63% for men compared with 67% for women).
In Quebec, 93% of English-speaking adults who felt it was important to receive health care or services in English had received these services in their community. Specifically, just over half (52%) always or often received service in English, and 41% sometimes or rarely received service in English (Chart 5.2). These percentages were lower in the regions of Québec and the rest of Quebec.
Data table for Chart 5.2.1
| Always | Often | Sometimes | Rarely | Never | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Percentage | 95% confidence interval | Percentage | 95% confidence interval | Percentage | 95% confidence interval | Percentage | 95% confidence interval | Percentage | 95% confidence interval | ||||||
| lower bound | upper bound | lower bound | upper bound | lower bound | upper bound | lower bound | upper bound | lower bound | upper bound | ||||||
Source: Statistics Canada, Survey on the Official Language Minority Population, 2022. |
|||||||||||||||
| Montreal area, South-East, West and East of Quebec | 26 | 24.3 | 28.1 | 27 | 25.0 | 28.8 | 27 | 25.0 | 29.1 | 14 | 12.2 | 15.6 | 6 | 5.1 | 7.5 |
| Quebec City area and rest of Quebec | 9 | 7.0 | 11.7 | 12 | 9.6 | 15.4 | 20 | 16.3 | 23.2 | 33 | 28.5 | 38.2 | 26 | 21.8 | 30.7 |
| North of New Brunswick | 65 | 59.1 | 69.5 | 25 | 20.6 | 30.3 | 7 | 4.9 | 11.1 | 3 | 1.6 | 5.4 | ... not applicable | ... not applicable | ... not applicable |
| South-East of New Brunswick | 37 | 32.7 | 41.9 | 39 | 33.9 | 43.4 | 18 | 14.3 | 21.9 | 7 | 4.5 | 9.4 | ... not applicable | ... not applicable | ... not applicable |
| Rest of New Brunswick | 6 | 3.2 | 12.1 | 13 | 9.1 | 17.1 | 32 | 25.5 | 39.4 | 30 | 23.8 | 36.8 | 19 | 13.7 | 26.0 |
| Other Atlantic provinces | 20 | 15.9 | 25.6 | 19 | 14.7 | 23.6 | 18 | 14.1 | 22.6 | 19 | 15.3 | 24.0 | 24 | 19.3 | 28.8 |
In Canada outside Quebec, over three-quarters (78%) of French-speaking adults who felt it was important to receive health care or services in French received them in their community. Less than half (43%) always or often received services in French, and more than a third (35%) sometimes or rarely. The percentage of adults who always or often received services was higher in northern (90%) and southeastern (76%) New Brunswick and in southeastern Ontario (73%), while it was lower in Manitoba (26%), in the rest of New Brunswick region (19%), in the Toronto area and the rest of Ontario region (9%), in the other western provinces and in the territory capitals (6%).
Data table for Chart 5.2.2
| Always | Often | Sometimes | Rarely | Never | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Percentage | 95% confidence interval | Percentage | 95% confidence interval | Percentage | 95% confidence interval | Percentage | 95% confidence interval | Percentage | 95% confidence interval | ||||||
| lower bound | upper bound | lower bound | upper bound | lower bound | upper bound | lower bound | upper bound | lower bound | upper bound | ||||||
Source: Statistics Canada, Survey on the Official Language Minority Population, 2022. |
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| South-East of Ontario | 33 | 28.2 | 37.4 | 40 | 35.6 | 45.2 | 17 | 13.6 | 21.6 | 6 | 3.8 | 9.0 | 4 | 2.2 | 6.9 |
| Ottawa and North-East of Ontario | 14 | 11.5 | 17.2 | 25 | 22.2 | 28.6 | 30 | 26.6 | 34.1 | 21 | 17.3 | 24.1 | 10 | 7.6 | 12.8 |
| Toronto and rest of Ontario | ... not applicable | ... not applicable | ... not applicable | 9 | 5.6 | 12.9 | 12 | 8.3 | 18.1 | 26 | 20.7 | 31.6 | 53 | 46.7 | 59.8 |
| Manitoba | 9 | 4.9 | 16.4 | 17 | 11.8 | 22.5 | 24 | 18.1 | 30.7 | 24 E use with caution | 17.9 | 32.4 | 26 E use with caution | 19.2 | 34.6 |
| Other Western provinces and territorial capitals | 1 | 0.6 | 2.1 | 4 | 2.2 | 8.7 | 12 | 9.0 | 16.6 | 21 | 17.1 | 26.2 | 61 | 55.0 | 66.5 |
Of the adults in a minority situation who felt it was important to receive health care or services in the minority official language and who had received health care or services in the 12 months preceding the survey, 63% always or often asked to be served in English in Quebec. In Canada outside Quebec, 39% of adults in a minority situation always or often asked to be served in French. Other adults did not ask to be served in the minority official language or were not served in that language, mainly because they were bilingual (53% in Quebec and 50% in Canada outside Quebec), because the health care professional did not know the minority official language (27% and 43%) or because services were not actively offered in the minority official language (27% and 32%). About one-quarter (24%) of adults in Quebec did not ask to be served in the minority official language out of fear that the health care professional may not like it, compared with 8% in Canada outside Quebec.
5.3 Justice services
In Quebec, the vast majority (87%) of English-speaking adults who had to interact with Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers in the five years preceding the survey used English, alone or together with French (Chart 5.3). More specifically, 61% mainly used English—that is, they used English only or used it more than French in these interactions. Conversely, about one-quarter (24%) mainly used French, either alone or used it more than English. The remaining adults used English and French equally (15%).
Data table for Chart 5.3
| Minority language only | More minority language than majority language | Minority language and majority language equally | More majority language than minority language | Majority language only | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Percentage | 95% confidence interval | Percentage | 95% confidence interval | Percentage | 95% confidence interval | Percentage | 95% confidence interval | Percentage | 95% confidence interval | ||||||
| lower bound | upper bound | lower bound | upper bound | lower bound | upper bound | lower bound | upper bound | lower bound | upper bound | ||||||
| Note: Among English-speaking adults in Quebec and French-speaking adults outside Quebec who interacted with police officers in the past five years.
Source: Statistics Canada, Survey on the Official Language Minority Population, 2022. |
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| Quebec | |||||||||||||||
| Federal | 46 | 39.7 | 52.9 | 15 | 11.0 | 19.4 | 15 | 11.0 | 20.2 | 11 | 7.4 | 14.8 | 13 | 9.7 | 18.4 |
| Provincial or territorial | 25 | 21.6 | 29.3 | 11 | 8.4 | 13.5 | 8 | 6.1 | 10.8 | 19 | 15.3 | 22.5 | 37 | 33.0 | 41.7 |
| Municipal | 24 | 20.7 | 27.5 | 11 | 9.2 | 14.0 | 12 | 9.6 | 14.7 | 17 | 14.3 | 19.6 | 36 | 32.3 | 39.8 |
| Canada outside Quebec | |||||||||||||||
| Federal | 16 | 13.3 | 19.0 | 8 | 6.0 | 11.0 | 12 | 9.7 | 14.4 | 14 | 11.0 | 17.8 | 50 | 45.5 | 54.4 |
| Provincial or territorial | 12 | 9.3 | 14.5 | 9 | 5.6 | 12.6 | 11 | 8.7 | 13.3 | 13 | 10.6 | 15.8 | 56 | 51.6 | 60.6 |
| Municipal | 10 | 8.5 | 12.6 | 6 | 4.0 | 9.4 | 10 | 7.8 | 11.8 | 12 | 9.9 | 14.9 | 62 | 57.6 | 65.4 |
In Canada outside Quebec, half (50%) of French-speaking adults who interacted with Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers in the five years preceding the survey used French, either alone or with English. Around one-quarter (24%) mainly used French, compared with two-thirds (64%) who mainly used English. Other adults used English and French equally (12%). The proportion of adults who interacted with Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers primarily in French was lower in 2022 (24%) than in 2006 (39%).
Overall, use of the minority official language is less common in interactions with provincial and municipal police officers, both in Quebec and in Canada outside Quebec.
In Quebec, almost two-thirds of English-speaking adults used English when interacting with provincial (63%) or municipal (64%) police officers, up from 58% in 2006 (interactions with both provincial and municipal police officers). However, about a third mainly used English when interacting with provincial (36%) or municipal (35%) police officers, while more than half mainly used French (56% to speak with provincial police officers and 53% to speak with municipal police officers).
In Canada outside Quebec, approximately 4 in 10 French-speaking adults used French when interacting with provincial (44%) or municipal (38%) police officers. Roughly 2 in 10 adults mainly used French (20% with provincial police officers and 17% with municipal police officers), compared with 7 in 10 adults who mainly used English (69% and 74%). The proportion of adults who mainly used French in their interactions with provincial police officers fell from 29% in 2006 to 20% in 2022. Conversely, the proportion of adults who used French, alone or together with English, in their interactions with municipal police officers rose from 27% in 2006 to 38% in 2022.
5.4 Integration assistance for immigrants
The majority of immigrants who arrived in Canada as adults needed assistance upon arrival to facilitate their integration into the community, both in Quebec (69%) and in Canada outside Quebec (72%).
In Quebec, two-thirds (66%) of English-speaking immigrants who needed assistance upon arrival to facilitate their integration into the community received help in English, English and French, or in another language from family, friends, or organizations. In total, one in six immigrants (17%) received assistance in French only.
In Canada outside Quebec, about half (54%) of French-speaking immigrants who needed assistance upon arrival to facilitate their integration into the community received assistance in French, in English and French, or in another language. Approximately one-quarter (24%) received assistance in English only.
Overall, 10%E encountered language barriers in receiving assistance, and 11%E did not have access to assistance in their community upon their arrival in Canada.
Among English-speaking immigrants in Quebec who received assistance in either of Canada’s official languages upon their arrival in Quebec, 78% received it in English, including 52% in English only and 26%E in English and French (Chart 5.4).
Data table for Chart 5.4
| Minority official language | Both official languages | Majority official language | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Percentage | 95% confidence interval | Percentage | 95% confidence interval | Percentage | 95% confidence interval | ||||
| lower bound | upper bound | lower bound | upper bound | lower bound | upper bound | ||||
Source: Statistics Canada, Survey on the Official Language Minority Population, 2022. |
|||||||||
| Quebec | 52 | 46.3 | 58.2 | 26 | 20.8 | 31.6 | 22 | 17.1 | 27.6 |
| Canada outside Quebec | 29 E use with caution | 21.3 | 39.0 | 40 E use with caution | 30.8 | 49.1 | 31 E use with caution | 22.8 | 40.8 |
Among French-speaking immigrants in Canada outside Quebec who received assistance in either official language upon their arrival in Canada outside Quebec, 69% received this assistance in French, including 29%E in French only and 40%E in English and French.
Immigrants in a minority situation who received assistance upon their arrival in Canada mainly communicated with federal, provincial, territorial, or municipal government (72% in Quebec and 55%E in Canada outside Quebec) and community organizations (47% and 71%E). The type of assistance received was mainly for learning an official language (47%), employment assistance (45%) and education or skills development assistance (36%). About half (51%) of English-speaking immigrants in Quebec received assistance for learning an official language, compared with over a third (38%E) of French-speaking immigrants in Canada outside Quebec.
Conclusion
This report provides an overview of the language situation and behaviours of English-speaking people in Quebec and French-speaking people in Canada’s other provinces and territory capitals using key findings from the 2022 Survey on the Official Language Minority Population.
The analyses herein are intended to provide users of data on official language minority communities with a better understanding of the situation of these populations and first access to these survey data. These initial findings can inform official language policies, programs and services in Canada while being useful to official language minority communities, researchers, and other stakeholders in this area.
Since the survey data contain a wealth of information, certain topics had to be prioritized, meaning that other topics were only touched on in this first descriptive report, which will be followed by more detailed analyses on specific topics in the coming years.
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