Section 3 Factors influencing the evolution of the population with French as a mother tongue

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3.1 Fertility
3.2 Transmission of mother tongue and the effect of exogamy
3.3 Age structure
3.4 Language transfers or intragenerational linguistic mobility
3.5 Use of French in the public sphere
3.6 Knowledge of French
3.7 Migration (interprovincial and international migratory movements)

The evolution of the language groups in a given province or region depends on the combined effect of the factors of natural increase—fertility and mortality—on the one hand and the factors of internal and international migration on the other hand. An additional component is intergenerational linguistic continuity, whereby the mother's mother tongue is passed on to her children.¹ Another factor will also be described in this section, namely intragenerational linguistic continuity, or its obverse, language transfer or substitution. The latter, while it does not directly influence how a language group evolves in the short term, can nevertheless have a major long-term influence in that the language predominantly used in the home is generally the one transmitted to the children.

In this section, much of the information provided will focus on the French-mother-tongue group in Ontario. However, in some cases, in particular the case of interprovincial migration and international immigration, the analysis will also cover the population with French as the first official language spoken.

3.1 Fertility

During the first half of the twentieth century, fertility differences between language groups partly accounted for the growth or maintenance of the population of some groups in relation to others. In Ontario, the French-mother-tongue population continued to exhibit higher fertility than the "other"-mother-tongue group until 1966 and the English-mother-tongue group until 1981.

During the period 1956-1961, for example, the fertility level of women with French as their mother tongue was 4.6 children per woman (4,600 children per 1,000 women) compared to 3.56 and 3.13 for those with English as a mother tongue and those with another mother tongue respectively. Starting in 1981, the total fertility rate of Francophones was lower than that of the other two groups, reaching its lowest level during the period 1996-2001 at 1.47 children per woman.

Demographers have determined that in the current conditions of low mortality, the replacement level corresponds to a rate of 2.1, that is, 2,100 children per 1,000 women. As may be seen in table 3.1, starting in the period 1971-1976, the fertility level of Francophone and Anglophone women was below this replacement level, while for women with another mother tongue, fertility dropped below the 2.1 threshold during the period 1981-1986. The table also shows that the fertility level of "other"-mother-tongue women declined less rapidly that that of women in the other language groups. Between 2001 and 2006, it was still higher than theirs. However, as will be seen below, the effect of a higher fertility rate for a given language group does not necessarily mean that the population of this group will increase in relation to other groups. For mothers with French as their mother tongue, as with mothers with a mother tongue other than French or English, the transmission of another mother tongue to their children—generally the majority language in their living environment—is a major phenomenon.

 Table 3.1 Total fertility rate by mother tongue, Ontario, 1956 to 2006

3.2 Transmission of mother tongue and the effect of exogamy

Although the total fertility rate provides useful information on the number of births within different mother-tongue groups, it does not provide any information on the mother tongue transmitted to children. The tendency to transmit a language to one's children varies according to a number of factors; one of the most important of these is the geographic concentration of the population comprising a given language group. As will be seen below, this factor also influences the propensity to form an exogamous couple, that is, a couple in which the partners do not have the same mother tongue. Also, the lower the geographic concentration or the relative weight of a language group in a given community, the lower the propensity of parents to transmit the minority language. As chart 3.2.1 shows, the proportion of couples with at least one French-mother-tongue partner who transmit French as a mother tongue to their children varies considerably from one region to another in Ontario. In the South-East of the province, French was passed on as a mother tongue to nearly three children in four, compared to one child in two for the province as a whole. It is in Toronto and the "Rest" of the province that these proportions are the lowest at 36.5% and 29.1% respectively.

 Chart 3.2.1 Proportion of children with French as mother tongue among families where at least one of the parents has French as mother tongue by region, Ontario, 2006

The proportion of Francophones within a given region, or indeed their level of geographic concentration, leads to different propensities to form linguistically mixed or exogamous couples. In 1971, the proportion of children living in an English-French exogamous family in Ontario accounted for nearly 38% of children living in a family with at least one French-mother-tongue parent and with children under 18 years of age (chart 3.2.2). In 2006, this proportion had risen to more than 59%.

 Chart 3.2.2 Percentage of children under 18 years of age living in a family where at least one parent is of French-mother-tongue, by mother tongue of parents, Ontario, 1971 and 2006

The proportion of children living in an exogamous family also varies according to the region of the province in which these families live (see chart 3.2.3). The propensity for children to live in a family with both parents having French as their mother tongue was greatest in the South-East (59%) whereas in Toronto and the "Rest" of the province, the corresponding proportions were 19% and 15% respectively. It is worth noting that while only 2% of the population of Toronto has French as a mother tongue, the propensity for children to live in an exogamous family (English-French) is roughly the same as observed in Ottawa (56%) and the North-East of the province (52%). At the same time, Toronto stands out from the other regions in that nearly one child in four lives in a family with one partner with French as a mother tongue and another with a mother tongue other than French or English.

 Chart 3.2.3 Percentage of children under 18 years of age living in a family where at least one parent is of French-mother-tongue, by mother tongue of parents, Ontario, 1971 and 2006

Between 1971 and 2006, among couples with at least one partner with French as a mother tongue, the proportion of French-English and French -"other"- language exogamous couples greatly increased in Ontario, going from 39% to 56% and 6% to 9% respectively, during this same period. Conversely, the proportion of endogamous couples with two partners with French as a mother tongue has substantially decreased, going from 54% in 1971 to 35% in 2006.

Because of the strong increase in the proportion of French-English exogamous couples between 1971 and 2006, one might expect to observe a decrease in the rate of transmission of the minority language (in this case, French) to children. But whereas French had been passed on to 11% of children under 18 years of age of French-English exogamous couples in 1971, the corresponding proportion was 23% in 2006 (see chart 3.2.4). There was also an increase in the transmission of French to the children of French-"other"-language exogamous couples, from 17% to 25% during the same period.

 Chart 3.2.4 Mother tongue of children less then 18 years of age by parent's mother tongue, Ontario, 2006

Women are proportionally more likely to pass on their mother tongue than men. In 2006, 38% of French-mother-tongue mothers whose spouse had English as a mother tongue transmitted French to their children, compared to only 16% of French-mother-tongue fathers living with a spouse whose mother tongue was English. This gap was much larger in 2006 than it was in 1971; the transfer rates of mothers and fathers who form exogamous couples were 12% and 10% respectively.

The transmission of French by French-mother-tongue mothers is even greater when only children under 5 years of age are considered (chart 3.2.5). In 1971, French had been passed on to children in this age group in only 16% of cases, compared to 38% in 2006. The corresponding proportions were 19% and 35% respectively for children of couples in which one partner is French-speaking and the other has a mother tongue other than French or English.

 Chart 3.2.5 Percentage of children under 5 years of age, where both the mother and the child's mother tongue is French, by mother tongue of the father, Ontario, 1971 and 2006

Table 3.2.1 shows that between 1971 and 2006, there was an increase in the proportion of spouses with a mother tongue other than French who could conduct a conversation in French and English. Thus, the increased transmission of French to children living in French-English exogamous families goes hand in hand with an increase in the French-English bilingualism of non-Francophone spouses. This increase was especially notable among female spouses with English as their mother tongue; they registered a French-English bilingualism rate of 25.4% in 2006 compared to 17% in 1971. Among male English-mother-tongue spouses in French-English exogamous couples, the level of knowledge of French increased more modestly, going from 22.5% to 24.3%.

It is also worth noting that in 1971, 11.4% of French-mother-tongue women living with an English-speaking male partner spoke French most often at home, compared to 7% of French-mother-tongue males living with a French-speaking female partner. Thirty-five years later, in 2006, the corresponding proportions were 17.4% and 9.9% respectively.

 Table 3.2.1 Proportion of partners with a mother tongue other than French who have knowledge of both official languages by type of couple, Ontario, 1971 and 2006

3.3 Age structure

It is instructive to examine how the age structure of Ontario's Francophone population has evolved, so as to be able to update part of the past demographic history of that population while getting an indication of its future course. Between 1971 and 2006, the change over time was essentially the result of a major decline in the Francophone fertility rate. Added to this was incomplete transmission of the mother tongue to children, although as will be seen further on, the level of transmission has not changed much in 35 years. At the time of the 2006 Census, French had been transmitted to one of every two children under age 18 of couples in which at least one of the spouses had French as a mother tongue.

How a population evolves demographically mainly depends on whether it maintains its numbers, which is mainly done through births, international immigration and, to a certain entent, interprovincial migration. Chart 3.3.1 shows how the age structure of the French-mother-tongue population in Ontario has changed over time. In the past 35 years, international immigration had very little effect on the evolution of this population, because its contribution was marginal. Since 1971, the number of French-mother-tongue population in Ontario registered a small increase (27,890 persons), going from 482,350 to 510,240. The increase in this population was mainly among persons aged 35 and over, whereas the number of persons under 35 declined substantially, mainly because of a fertility rate below the replacement level.

In 2006, the number of children under 5 years of age (18,750) was much smaller than the number of adults aged 30 to 34 (30,887), the average age of childbearing, with a ratio of 0.62. By comparison, in 1971 the corresponding ratio was 1.06 (34,995/32,895). Also, as chart 3.3.1 shows, the baby boom generation (born between 1946 and 1966), which corresponded to the age cohorts 5 to 9 years to 20 to 24 years in 1971, is nearly identical in size to the 40 to 44 years to 55 to 59 years age cohorts 35 years later.

 Chart 3.3.1 Age structure of the French mother tongue population, Ontario, 1971 and 2006

The small size of the youngest cohorts in 2006—combined with the fact that in the coming decades a number of cohorts will pass the over-65 years mark—will in the future produce an age structure that will bear witness to a significant ageing of the French-mother-tongue population.

While the ageing of the population is mainly due to a low fertility rate, it also seems clear that it results from the French mother tongue not being passed on to children. As noted above, although the rate of intergenerational transmission of French increased in families headed by French-English exogamous couples between 1971 and 2006, it is nevertheless true that more than seven children in ten under 18 years of age and living in these families were transmitted English as their mother tongue.

But overall, intergenerational linguistic continuity remained stable over this period. This phenomenon is measured by determining the ratio of the number of French-mother-tongue children under 5 years of age to the number of children whose mother has French as her mother tongue.² In Ontario, this index was 0.72 in 1971 and 0.74 in 2006 (data not shown). While the index remained stable, intergenerational transmission is nevertheless unfavourable to the French-mother-tongue population, since the intergenerational continuity index is less than 1.³ An index of 0.7 means that three French-mother-tongue women in ten do not pass that language on to their children. Because of a low fertility rate and a linguistic continuity index of this order, Lachapelle and Lepage (to be published) estimate that the number of births of children with French as their mother tongue will decrease by nearly 50% every thirty years.

The steep drop in births exhibited by the French-mother-tongue group in the past 35 years is not unique to this language group. Chart 3.3.2 shows the age structure of the main mother-tongue groups in 2006. As may be seen, while the relative share of cohorts under 35 years of age within the English-mother-tongue group is greater than in the other two groups, the consequences of a fertility rate below the replacement level are also apparent in this language group. But unlike the French-mother-tongue and "other"-mother-tongue groups, the Anglophone group benefited from the contribution of intergenerational linguistic mobility from the other two groups. In 2006, the intergenerational linguistic continuity index of the Anglophone group was 1.15

It should also be noted that the over-representation of the "other"-mother-tongue group in the cohorts aged 25 to 45 is mainly due to immigration policies that tend to favour the immigration of working-age persons.

 Chart 3.3.2 Age structure of French, English and Other mother tongue populations, Ontario, 2006 (Rate per 1000)

Finally, the age structure of the Francophone group in Ontario must also be examined in light of information on the first official language spoken. We have shown that the population with French as a first official language spoken was 538,000, compared to 510,000 for the population with French as a mother tongue. The differences in age structures as shown in chart 3.3.3 are slight. However, there is a somewhat larger number of French FOLS persons in the cohorts aged 4 to 9 years and 50 to 54 years, with a larger spread in the group aged 10 to 19 years. These differences, while slight, result primarily from the contribution of international immigration of "other"-mother-tongue persons with French as an FOLS.

 Chart 3.3.3 Number of French mother tongue and French first-official-language-spoken populations, Ontario, 2006

3.4 Language transfers or intragenerational linguistic mobility

Language transfers, also sometimes called language shifts, refer to the phenomenon where the main language used at home differs from the individual's mother tongue. This language mobility phenomenon has no direct bearing on the evolution of language groups defined according to mother tongue. However, since the language that dominates in the home is generally the one that is passed on to the children, it influences the long-term future of language groups. Also, when the criterion used to define language groups is the first official language spoken, the language spoken most often at home has a direct influence on the size of the Francophone group. For example, according to this criterion, persons who have knowledge of both official languages and who have both French and English or an "other" language as a mother tongue are part of the English-speaking group if they speak English most often at home. By the same token, persons with an "other" mother tongue who know both official languages and who speak French most often at home are part of the group with French as the first official language spoken.

Through successive censuses, there has been an increase in language transfer for persons with French as a mother tongue in Ontario. Thus, in 1971, approximately 30% of Ontarians with French as a mother tongue reported using another language, usually English, most often at home. Among persons with a mother tongue other than French or English, the corresponding proportion was nearly 41%. Thirty-five years later, 42% of French-mother-tongue persons reported speaking another language than French most often at home. Among persons with a mother tongue other than French or English, the proportion of language transfers remained roughly stable, mainly owing the strong immigration of such persons to the province, especially since the mid-1980s.

 Table 3.4.1 Rate of Language Transfer by mother tongue, Ontario, 1971 to 2006

A linguistic continuity index can also be used as a corollary of the language transfer rate. This index is the ratio of the number of persons with a given home language to the number of persons with the corresponding mother tongue. When the index is greater than 1, this means that the group comes out ahead in exchanges with other language groups while an index lower than 1 indicates an unfavourable situation for the group in question.

According to the statistics presented in table 3.4.2, Ontario's English-mother-tongue group saw its linguistic continuity index go from 1.10 to 1.18 between 1971 and 2006, while that of the Francophone group went from 0.73 to 0.60. In other words, although the number of persons with French as a mother tongue increased by nearly 30,000 persons during that period, the number with French as their main home language declined by nearly 48,000 persons.

 Table 3.4.2 Population by mother tongue, language spoken most often at home and linguistic continuity index, Ontario, 1971 and 2006

The continuity index of 0.61 for the French-mother-tongue group takes account of the fact that in Ontario, nearly 11,000 persons have an "other" mother tongue and speak French most often at home (table 3.4.3). It also takes account of the fact that more than 10,200 persons with English as their mother tongue have French as their main home language.

 Table 3.4.3 Population by mother tongue and language spoken most often at home, and linguistic continuity index, Ontario, 2006

Because individuals' main home language may differ from their mother tongue, the concept of language transfer has often been seen as a phenomenon indicating abandonment of one's mother tongue. But since 2001, the Canadian census has included a question on languages, other than the main language, that are spoken on a regular basis at home. Although it may be difficult to judge how respondents interpret this new question, qualitative tests conducted on respondents as well as survey results (SVOLM) have shown that respondents usually consider it to refer to daily use of that language.

Based on the census results for this question, a distinction can be made between partial and complete language transfer. As a corollary to this distinction, there is a need to nuance the concept of linguistic continuity, since using one's mother tongue on a regular basis at home cannot be interpreted as linguistic discontinuity.

In 2006, 289,000 Ontarians spoke French as the only main language at home, while 32,500 persons reported speaking that language most often in combination with English or another language (table 3.4.5). Thus, nearly 2.7% of Ontarians reported having French as a main language. Data drawn from the Census of the population also show that 222,480 Franco-Ontarians reported speaking French on a regular basis at home, although not as their main home language. In short, French was spoken either most often or on a regular basis at home by 4.5% of the population.⁴

 Table 3.4.4 Population by mother tongue, language spoken most often at home and other languages spoken regularly at home, Ontario, 2006

 Table 3.4.5 Number and proportion of persons with French as mother tongue, first official language spoken, language spoken most often at home and language spoken regularly at home, Ontario, 2006

Information on the regular use of French as a secondary language in the home serves to distinguish complete language transfers from partial language transfers. Thus, based on single responses to the question on the first language learned and still understood at the time of the 2006 Census (usually called the mother tongue), table 3.4.6 shows that for Ontario as a whole, 23% of persons with French as their mother tongue do not use French at least regularly at home (complete transfer), whereas 19% use it on a regular basis (partial transfer).

As was already seen in Section 2.3, Francophones are fairly concentrated geographically in Ontario, and consequently, their language behaviours are influenced by the relative share that they represent within their community. For example, the language transfer rate in the South-East region is 18%, including 8% complete transfers and 11% partial transfers. Conversely, the Toronto region and the Rest of Ontario register transfer rates of 59% and 67% respectively, with the rates for complete transfer being 34% and 43%.

 Table 3.4.6 Rate of complete and partial language transfers by region, person of French mother tongue, Ontario, 2006

We also know that language transfer rates of Franco-Ontarians vary by age group (table 3.4.7). As well, Francophones under 15 years of age have a greater tendency to speak French most often at home than those in other age groups. In fact, the linguistic paths of Franco-Ontarians who live in a minority situation are influenced by their life paths (type of educational institution attended, main language of friends, work environment, spouse's language group, etc.). According to 2006 statistics, the Franco-Ontarians most likely to have made a complete language transfer are those aged 55 or over. However, it is among Francophones aged 25 to 34 that partial language transfers are proportionally most numerous (26%). Consequently, French is not the main language used at home for nearly one Francophone in two aged 25 or over.

 Table 3.4.7 Rate of complete and partial language transfers by age group, persons of French mother tongue, Ontario, 2006

Exogamy is often associated with language transfer for Francophones outside Quebec. Indeed, 81% of Francophones who live in an exogamous union with an English-mother-tongue partner speak English most often at home. However, the 2006 SVOLM data serve to better document the link between exogamy and language transfer among Francophones. In many cases, language transfer is found to have taken place well before a union was formed with an Anglophone partner: approximately 64% of Francophones who live in an exogamous situation began to speak English most often at home before age 21 and 39% before age 15. Among Francophones between 25 and 44 years of age—those likely to have young children—the corresponding proportions were 69% and 46% respectively. Thus, it is not so much exogamy that has a direct bearing on the fact that a Francophone speaks English most often at home. In fact, these results suggest that living in a highly minority situation increases the use of the majority language in daily activities and influences the main language of Francophones in the medium term and ultimately affects the propensity to choose an English-speaking spouse. In any event, the relationship between exogamy and home language definitely operates in both directions.

Data drawn from the Survey on the Vitality of Official-Language Minorities (SVOLM) shed light on the association that tends to be established between language transfer and anglicization. The survey includes a question on respondents' main language, that is, the language in which they are most at ease in speaking. As may be seen from the results presented in table 3.4.8, a sizable proportion of Francophones have either English or both official languages as their main language. These proportions vary by region of residence, and consequently by the proportion that Francophones represent within their municipality.

 Table 3.4.8 Percentage of persons with French as their first official language spoken by main language and region of residence, Ontario, 2006

When the statistics presented in this table are compared to those concerning language transfer (table 3.4.6), it emerges that depending on the region, the proportion of Francophones who report speaking English most often at home (including both complete and partial language transfers) is larger than the proportion who report being more at ease in English than in French. For example, 50% of Toronto Francophones report being more at ease in English than in French, while 67% report speaking English most often at home. Similarly, in the South-East region of the province, 15% of Francophones report being more at ease in English than in French, while 26% report speaking English most often at home (including complete and partial transfers).

3.5 Use of French in the public sphere

Statistics from the Census of Population shed light on the use of languages in the private sphere (at home) and, as will be seen in the section dealing with the labour force, the use of languages in the workplace. But what do we know about the use of languages—French in particular—in areas of interaction other than in the home?

The Survey on the Vitality of Official-Language Minorities includes a number of questions on the use of languages in various domains in the public sphere such as stores, health care institutions (which will be examined in detail in the next section), volunteer activities, social support, community or sports activities, etc. Some questions in the survey also deal with domains on the borderline between the private and public spheres, such as the language spoken with friends outside the home and the language in which various media are "consumed." Just like in other domains, media consumption in French depends not only on individual choices but also on the degree to which the various media are accessible in this language, since the internet has significantly improved things to this regard.

The use of French outside the home varies from one domain to another in the public sphere. The statistics provided in chart 3.5.1 show that the presence of French is lowest in the consumption of the different cultural media (radio, television, newspapers, books, Internet). About 34% of Francophones in the province use French most often (alone or with another language) in this domain. Only 12% use it predominantly.

Outside the family sphere, where French is spoken most often (either alone or with another language) by 60%, French is most widely used by Francophones in their interactions with friends. Here, 34% of them report mainly using French while 16% report using as much French as English. The extent to which French is used at work is fairly similar to what is observed in institutions and stores. However, it should be noted in this regard that the use of French in stores specifically is even lower (data not shown), with scarcely more than 15% of the province's Francophones reporting that they use French with employees of the stores that they visit most often.

 Chart 3.5.1 Proportion of Francophones by language use in various domains of the public and private spheres, Ontario, 2006

Just as was seen in the previous sections, the use of French in the various domains of the public sphere (media, institutions and stores, work, immediate network and friends outside the home) varies from one region to another within the province.⁵ Thus, French is the main language used (alone or with another language) by more than 80% of Francophones residing in the South-East of the province. Excluding cases where French is used equally with English, French is used predominantly by 53% of Francophones in that region.

The predominant use of French is similar in Ottawa and the North-East of the province. However, French is used more in the national capital if cases where it is used equally with English are included.

 Chart 3.5.2 Proportion of Francophones by the general language use index in various domains of the public sphere, Ontario and regions, 2006

3.6 Knowledge of French

When persons for whom French is not the first official language spoken have knowledge of French, this can give those for whom it is the main language more opportunities to use it outside the family home.

While 4.4% of Ontario's population report French, either alone or together with another language, as a mother tongue, and while a similar proportion have French as a first official language spoken, 11.9% of the population report that they are able to conduct a conversation in French. In 2006, whereas 88% of persons with French as a mother tongue reported knowing both official languages, the corresponding proportion was only 8.6% for persons with English as a mother tongue and 6.7% for persons with another mother tongue. Among the latter, 8.2%, most of them recent immigrants, reported that they were unable to conduct a conversation in either French or English.

 Table 3.6.1 Knowledge of official language by mother tongue, Ontario, 2006

For persons for whom French is not the first official language spoken, the ability to conduct a conversation in French depends on a number of factors, including how interested they are in learning the language and the perceived importance, utility and status of the language. Additionally, the demographic characteristics of the population considered and the demolinguistic context play a preponderant role. Charts 3.6.1 and 3.6.2 show that the level of knowledge of French by non-Francophones greatly depends on the region in which they live and, consequently, on the proportion of the French-speaking population in that region.

Province-wide, around 8% of non-Francophones can conduct a conversation in French. However, this proportion rises to 29% in the South-East region and to 27% in Ottawa. Non-Francophones in the North-East of the province register a lower level of knowledge of French, namely 15%, while those residing in Toronto and the Rest of Ontario post similar proportions, below or around the provincial average.

 Chart 3.6.1 Rate of English-French bilinguism among persons with English as their first official language spoken by region, Ontario, 2006

Another way to bring out the link between place of residence and knowledge of French among non-Francophones is to arrange the statistics according to the relative weight of the Francophone minority within the municipality of residence. In municipalities where Francophones represent less than 10% of the population, a situation experienced by 36% of Franco-Ontarians, the rate of French-English bilingualism among non-Francophones scarcely exceeds 6%. In those where they represent between 10% and 30% of the population of their municipality, which is the case for 42% of Franco-Ontarians, the level of knowledge of French among non-Francophones climbs to more than 23%. Thus, the greater the relative share of Francophones within their municipality, the greater will be the knowledge of French among non-Francophones. A fact worth noting is that even when Francophones represent 70% or more of the population in their community of residence, the level of knowledge of French among non-Francophones barely reaches 45%.

 Chart 3.6.2 Rate of English-French bilingualism among persons with English as their first official language spoken by the proportion of Francophones within the municipality of residence, Ontario, 2006

Knowledge of French among non-Francophones is usually more widespread among persons with English as their mother tongue than among those with a mother tongue other than French or English, except for the 10 to14 age group. Knowledge of French is also much more widespread among young persons, because of their attending programs of French immersion or French as a second language. Because the learning of French usually takes place at school, the bilingualism rate peaks in the 15 to 19 age group, which covers the period when young people are completing their secondary education.

 Chart 3.6.3 Proportion of persons with a mother tongue other than French who can conduct a conversation in English and in French in each five-year age group, Ontario, 2006

However, while knowledge of French appeared to have slightly advanced between 2001 and 2006 within the Anglophone population, it continued to decline among youths aged 15 to 19. Thus, from a level of 18% in 1996, the French-English bilingualism rate of young English-speaking Ontarians lost ground, dropping to 16% in 2001 and 13.7% in 2006.

Furthermore, the ability of young Anglophones to maintain their knowledge of French as a second language diminishes over time. As may be seen in chart 3.6.4, when we consider youths aged 15 to 19 in 1996, we observe that their bilingualism rate as reported in that census (18%) falls to 14.8% in 2001, whereas this cohort are aged 20 to 24 years, and to 13.2% in 2006 when the same cohort is aged 25 to 29 years. A similar trend is observed among youths who were 15 to 19 years of age in 2001 and who are between 20 and 24 years of age five years later.

 Chart 3.6.4 Proportion of persons with English as their mother tongue who can conduct a conversation in English and in French, by age group, Ontario, 1996, 2001 and 2006

It is difficult to identify the exact causes of this decline in the ability to conduct a conversation in French among young, English-mother-tongue Ontarians aged 15 to 19 years. As table 3.6.2 shows, enrolments in immersion programs, while they fluctuated slightly from year to year, remained relatively stable between 2000 and 2006. However, it is noteworthy that enrolments declined 3% between 2000 and 2003 but returned to their initial level three years later. Moreover, statistics for the year 2006-2007 stand out sharply with a 3.7% increase in enrolments in immersion programs.

 Table 3.6.2 Number of children registered in French immersion and in a regular French programme at the primary and secondary levels in public schools, Ontario, 2000-2001 to 2006-2007

3.7 Migration (interprovincial and international migratory movements)

The mobility of Francophones within Canada and the contribution of international immigration are factors that greatly influence the evolution of the French-speaking population of Ontario.

3.7.1 Place of birth

The place of birth of Ontario Francophones is presented in table 3.7.1. In 2006, 64% of persons with French as a mother tongue were born in Ontario, compared to nearly 60% of those for whom French is the first official language spoken. Depending on the criterion used, the proportion of Franco-Ontarians born in another Canadian province or territory was between 27% and 29%, with the vast majority of them coming from Quebec. As to foreign-born persons, most of them immigrants,⁶ they comprised 7% of the population with French as a mother tongue and 14% of the population with French as a first official language.

 Table 3.7.1 Place of birth of Francophones by mother tongue and first official language spoken, Ontario, 2006

These results vary greatly depending on which region of the province is being considered. Thus, while less than one person in five residing in the South-East region and approximately one in six in the North-East region was born in another province or territory in Canada (primarily in Quebec), the corresponding proportion is roughly 28% in Toronto and Ottawa, and 38% in the "Rest" of the province. As to foreign-born persons, chart 3.7.1 clearly shows that Francophone immigration in Ontario, like non-Francophone immigration, is concentrated in the large urban centres. In fact, half the Francophone population of Toronto consists of persons born outside Canada, whereas in Ottawa and the "Rest" of the province, the corresponding proportions are 15% and 18% respectively.

 Chart 3.7.1 Place of birth of persons with French as first official language spoken by region, Ontario, 2006

3.7.2 International immigration

Ontario is the province that receives the greatest number of international immigrants. Thus, in 1971, 52% of immigrants to Canada lived in that province, only slightly less than in 2006 (55%). The same is true for French-speaking immigrants outside Quebec: 69% of all French-speaking immigrants settling outside Quebec live in Ontario, especially in the Ottawa and Toronto metropolitan areas.

Francophone immigration in Ontario is not a recent phenomenon. However, because of the strong growth of international immigration that Canada has experienced since the mid-1980s, the French-speaking immigrant population of the province grew 54% between 1991 and 2001. Most of these immigrants have a mother tongue other than French or English and have either French or both official languages as their first official language spoken.

The immigrant population with French as its first official language spoken accounts for a very small proportion of the province's immigrant population. In 2006, its relative share was 2%. Furthermore, whereas the relative weight of the immigrant population within the province's Francophone population was approximately 13% in the last census, the relative weight of the immigrant population with English as its first official language spoken was roughly 28% of the Anglophone population (table 3.7.2.1).

 Table 3.7.2.1 Number, percentage and relative share of French and English immigrants, Ontario, 1971 to 2006

French-speaking immigrants in Ontario come from various countries. However, a large proportion of them come from a limited number of countries. Data from the 2006 Census reveal that nearly three immigrants in ten come from the African continent, an additional 30% come from Western Europe and approximately 10% from the Caribbean. Table 3.7.2.2 shows the main countries of origin of immigrants residing in Ontario. As may be seen, France is by far the country from which the greatest number of French-speaking immigrants come, followed by Haiti and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The twelve countries shown in this table account for 54% of French-language immigration in Ontario. Including Mauritius, four African countries alone account for more than 16% of all French-speaking immigrants, compared to 12% for France.

 Table 3.7.2.2 Main countries of origin of French-speaking immigrants, Ontario, 2006

3.7.3 Interprovincial migration

Since 1981, net migration between Ontario and the other provinces and territories has been positive. Except at the peak reached between 1986 and 1991, a period when 35,000 Francophones left Ontario to go to other provinces, departures for other provinces have generally ranged between 25,000 and 30,000 during any given five-year period. As to migration to Ontario, it was at its highest level between 1981 and 1986 (at more than 38,000), whereas its lowest level was reached between 2001 and 2006 (25,600). Ontario's positive net migration of 11,000 Francophones between 1996 and 2001 came primarily from Quebec.

 Table 3.7.3 Interprovincial migration between Ontario and other provinces and territories by first official language spoken, 1981 to 1986, 1986 to 1991, 1991 to 1996, 1996 to 2001 and 2001 to 2006

Charts 3.7.3.1 and 3.7.3.2 show migratory movements between Ontario and the other provinces and territories between 2001 and 2006. As may be seen, of the approximately 26,000 Francophones who came from other provinces and territories to settle in Ontario, 75% had been living in Quebec in 2001, compared to 6% in New Brunswick and Alberta. By the same token, of the 29,000 Francophones who were living in Ontario in 2001 and who migrated to other provinces, three-quarters settled in Quebec.

 Chart 3.7.3.1 Origin of Franchophones who lived in other provinces and territoires in 2001 and who moved to Ontario between 2001 and 2006

 Chart 3.7.3.2 Destination of Francophones who left Ontario between 2001 and 2006

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Notes

1. Of course, a language is also transmitted from fathers to their children, but it is usually the mother's language that predominates.
2. To establish this ratio, demographers generally look at children living in a two-parent family or a one-parent family headed by a woman, which account for more than 97% of children in this age group.
3. For a more in depth approach, refer to Lachapelle and Lepage, Languages in Canada: 2006 Census, Statistique Canada and Canadian Heritage (to be published).
4. The sum of the proportions associated with the language spoken most often and the language spoken on a regular basis in Table 3.4.5 is slightly different (4.8%) because of rounding of the values associated with each of these two variables.
5. See Appendix C for a description of the general language use index in the public sphere.
6. Foreign-born persons include immigrants, non-permanent residents and Canadians born abroad.