French gaining prominence in workplace in several provinces: census

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This article was published 04/03/2008 (6472 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

MONTREAL – French is holding its ground at workplaces in Montreal and making modest gains across the country, but Quebec nationalists say there is little to cheer about in the latest census figures.

Statistics Canada’s numbers on language show the proportion of people using French most often at work in Montreal remained unchanged from 2001 at 69 per cent.

That may be the most politically contentious figure in the report as language advocates have been increasingly vocal over concerns English is overtaking French in the city.

“If there has been a stagnation it means French is not making gains,” said Mario Beaulieu, who heads the French-language rights group Mouvement Montreal Francais.

“French is still not the common language at work.”

Yet the statistics released Tuesday also show that 94.3 per cent of Quebec francophones use their native tongue at work, a small increase since 2001. By comparison, English was used “most often” by 17 per cent of Quebec workers.

The French language has been under the microscope in recent weeks after allegations from a university researcher that the Quebec government shelved a report showing French-speakers would become a minority in Montreal by 2021.

Census figures released in December suggesting Montrealers were speaking less French at home prompted a fresh round of calls to reinforce Quebec’s language charter.

Statistics Canada acknowledged there appears to be a discrepancy in its language figures for Montreal.

“It will probably be a surprise for some people because in December we had data showing a decrease in French usage,” said Jean-Pierre Corbeil, an analyst for Statistics Canada.

Outside of Quebec French is actually gaining prominence in many provinces, including New Brunswick and Ontario.

Slightly more than one quarter of francophones across the country reported using French “regularly” in the workplace in 2006.

The numbers from the 2006 census also showed that while English is most commonly used for business in Canada, the use of French is either stable or increasing in most places.

In Ottawa, where 16 per cent of the population is francophone, the language was spoken by’ per cent of people at work – up one percentage point from 2001.

Canada has welcomed more than one million immigrants, among which 80 per cent have a mother tongue that’s neither French nor English.

Corbeil says Quebec’s decision to hand pick a portion of its immigrants is the main reason that the French language continues to be commonly used at work in the province.

Many new immigrants to the province came from France, Haiti and North African countries where residents are fluent in French.

Even among immigrants whose first language isn’t French or English about 77 per cent speak French at work, Statistics Canada says. That’s one percentage point higher than in 2001.