Census in Brief
English, French and official language minorities in Canada
The letter C inside a yellow triangle - correction Update of the 2016 Census language data

Release date: August 2, 2017 Updated on: August 31, 2017

Highlights

  • There has been a decline in French as a mother tongue and a language spoken at home in Canada.
  • In Canada outside Quebec, the French language minority, defined by first official language spoken, edged down from 4.0% in 2011 to 3.8% in 2016.
  • The proportion of Canadians who reported speaking English at home increased by 0.5 percentage points, from 74.0% in 2011 to 74.5% in 2016.
  • The relative weight of the English‑mother‑tongue population fell in Canada.
  • The relative weight of the official language minority in Quebec was 13.7% in 2016, compared with 13.5% in 2011.

Introduction

In a context of large‑scale immigration and broad linguistic diversity, the relative weight of English and French is likely to decline, especially in the private sphere. According to data from the 2016 Census of Population, the number of people in the Canadian population with an “other” mother tongueNote 1 has increased, while the relative share of the population with English or French as a mother tongue has decreased.

Nevertheless, English and French—the country’s two official languages—continue to play an important role in the lives of Canadians: they are the languages of convergence and integration into Canadian society.

However, the situation of French differs from English. Data on knowledge of official languages, languages spoken at home and first official language spoken (FOLS) indicate a decline in the relative weight of French in Canadian society. Conversely, English is seeing a bit of an upswing, particularly in Quebec.

The number of French speakers is on the rise

In 2016, 29.8% of Canadians reported being able to conduct a conversation in French, which is down from 2011 (30.1%). However, over the same period, the number of people who could conduct a conversation in French rose by 400,000 to nearly 10.4 million people in 2016.

In Quebec, 94.5% of the population reported being able to conduct a conversation in French in 2016, which is similar to the proportion from the 2011 Census (94.4%). In numbers, this represented just over 7.6 million individuals in 2016.

Outside Quebec, the proportion of Canadians who reported being able to conduct a conversation in French remained relatively stable between 2011 and 2016, with an increase of 157,035 people.

Table 1
Ability to conduct a conversation in French, Canada, Quebec, and Canada outside Quebec, 2011 and 2016
Table summary
This table displays the results of Ability to conduct a conversation in French 2011 and 2016, calculated using number and percent units of measure (appearing as column headers).
2011 2016
number percent number percent
Canada
Knowledge of French 9,960,590 30.1 10,360,760 29.8
French only 4,165,015 12.6 4,144,690 11.9
English and French 5,795,575 17.5 6,216,070 17.9
Total 33,121,175 100.0 34,767,250 100.0
Quebec
Knowledge of French 7,375,900 94.4 7,619,040 94.5
French only 4,047,175 51.8 4,032,635 50.0
English and French 3,328,725 42.6 3,586,405 44.5
Total 7,815,955 100.0 8,066,555 100.0
Canada outside Quebec
Knowledge of French 2,584,690 10.2 2,741,720 10.3
French only 117,840 0.5 112,055 0.4
English and French 2,466,850 9.7 2,629,665 9.8
Total 25,305,220 100.0 26,700,695 100.0

A decline in French in the private sphere

In 2016, close to 8.2 million Canadians, or 23.4% of the population, reported speaking French at home.Note 2 This proportion is down from 23.8% in 2011.

Table 2
French spoken at home, Canada, Quebec, and Canada outside Quebec, 2011 and 2016
Table summary
This table displays the results of French spoken at home 2011 and 2016, calculated using number and percent units of measure (appearing as column headers).
2011 2016
number percent number percent
Canada
Only 6,043,305 18.2 6,081,030 17.5
Mostly 784,560 2.4 862,775 2.5
Equally 287,230 0.9 378,415 1.1
Regularly 777,095 2.3 829,905 2.4
Total (French) 7,892,190 23.8 8,152,115 23.4
Total population 33,121,175 100.0 34,767,250 100.0
Quebec
Only 5,687,005 72.8 5,741,620 71.2
Mostly 562,080 7.2 634,050 7.9
Equally 201,290 2.6 268,420 3.3
Regularly 351,520 4.5 381,495 4.7
Total (French) 6,801,895 87.0 7,025,580 87.1
Total population 7,815,950 100.0 8,066,560 100.0
Canada outside Quebec
Only 356,300 1.4 339,410 1.3
Mostly 222,480 0.9 228,725 0.9
Equally 85,940 0.3 109,995 0.4
Regularly 425,575 1.7 448,410 1.7
Total (French) 1,090,295 4.3 1,126,535 4.2
Total population 25,305,225 100.0 26,700,690 100.0

Across Canada, there was a decrease in the number and proportion of Canadians who reported speaking only French at home. French is increasingly spoken with another language, an observation that was primarily seen in Quebec—where most of the country’s French speakers reside—and, to a lesser extent, in the other provinces and territories.

Decline in the demographic weight of the French‑mother‑tongue population

The number of people in Canada whose mother tongue is French is on the rise. However, on account of the linguistic diversification created by immigration, their relative weight is on the decline. This was observed in 2016 both in Quebec and all over Canada.

In Canada outside Quebec, the number of people whose mother tongue is French increased by 8,400 between 2011 and 2016 to 1,074,985. This growth is primarily attributable to individuals who reported having French and English as their mother tongue. Conversely, in 2016, fewer people reported having only French as their mother tongue than in 2011.

Table 3
French‑mother‑tongue population, Canada, Quebec, and Canada outside Quebec, 2011 and 2016
Table summary
This table displays the results of French‑mother‑tongue population 2011, 2016 and Variation from 2011 to 2016, calculated using number and percent units of measure (appearing as column headers).
2011 2016 Variation from 2011 to 2016
number percent number percent percent
Canada
French (total) 7,298,180 22.0 7,452,075 21.4 2.1
French only 7,054,970 21.3 7,166,705 20.6 1.6
French and another language 243,210 0.7 285,370 0.8 17.3
Total population 33,121,175  100.0 34,767,250 100.0 5.0
Quebec
French (total) 6,231,600 79.7 6,377,090 79.1 2.3
French only 6,102,210 78.1 6,219,665 77.1 1.9
French and another language 129,390 1.7 157,425 2.0 21.7
Total population 7,815,955 100.0 8,066,555 100.0 3.2
Canada outside Quebec
French (total) 1,066,580 4.2 1,074,985 4.0 0.8
French only 952,760 3.8 947,040 3.5 -0.6
French and another language 113,820 0.4 127,945 0.5 12.4
Total population 25,305,220 100.0 26,700,695 100.0 5.5

French as the first official language spoken is increasing mostly in Quebec

The “first official language spoken”Note 3 is used to determine whether individuals with an “other” mother tongue adopt English or French. It helps to determine the place of Canada’s official languages within a broad diversity of languages and is also an indicator of how immigrants of all origins integrate linguistically into Canadian society.

The number of people with French as their first official language spoken (FOLS) rose from 7.7 million in 2011 to 7.9 million in 2016. However, this increase was observed primarily in Quebec. Outside Quebec, the official language minority population rose from 1,007,585 in 2011 to 1,024,200 in 2016, an increase of 16,615 people. The relative weight of the French minority population outside Quebec fell 0.2 percentage points from 4.0% in 2011 to 3.8% in 2016.

The trends vary from province to province. The French FOLS population saw its numbers and proportions decline in Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Manitoba, and rise in number in the other provinces. In Ontario and Saskatchewan, this increase coincided with a drop in the relative weight of the official language minority. The relative weight of the French minority population remained stable in Alberta and British Columbia. Finally, in Newfoundland and Labrador, Yukon, the Northwest Territories, and Nunavut, the official language minority grew in both number and proportion.

Table 4
Population with French as their first official language spoken, provinces, territories, and Canada outside Quebec, 2011 and 2016
Table summary
This table displays the results of Population with French as their first official language spoken French FOLS population, 2011, 2016 and Variation from 2011 to 2016, calculated using number and percent units of measure (appearing as column headers).
French FOLS populationTable 4 Note 1
2011 2016 Variation from 2011 to 2016
number percent number percent percent
Newfoundland and Labrador 2,095 0.4 2,425 0.5 15.8
Prince Edward Island 4,810 3.5 4,665 3.3 -3.0
Nova Scotia 30,330 3.3 29,370 3.2 -3.2
New Brunswick 235,695 31.9 234,055 31.8 -0.7
Quebec 6,684,125 85.5 6,890,300 85.4 3.1
Ontario 542,390 4.3 550,600 4.1 1.5
Manitoba 41,365 3.5 40,975 3.2 -0.9
Saskatchewan 14,290 1.4 14,435 1.3 1.0
Alberta 71,370 2.0 79,840 2.0 11.9
British Columbia 62,190 1.4 64,325 1.4 3.4
Yukon 1,485 4.4 1,635 4.6 10.4
Northwest Territories 1,080 2.6 1,240 3.0 14.8
Nunavut 475 1.5 625 1.8 32.6
Canada outside Quebec 1,007,578 4.0 1,024,195 3.8 1.6

The ability to conduct a conversation in English is up

In 2016, 30 million Canadians reported being able to hold a conversation in English, an increase of 1.6 million people from 2011. In terms of proportion, it rose from 85.6% in 2011 to 86.2% in 2016.

In Quebec, 49.1% of the population reported being able to conduct a conversation in English in 2016, up 1.9 percentage points over 2011. This proportion represented 4 million people in 2016.

Outside Quebec, the proportion of Canadians who reported being able to hold a conversation in English remained relatively stable between 2011 (97.5%) and 2016 (97.4%). However, this corresponded to an increase of 1.35 million English speakers, for a total of 26 million in 2016.

Table 5
Ability to conduct a conversation in English, Canada, Quebec, and Canada outside Quebec, 2011 and 2016
Table summary
This table displays the results of Ability to conduct a conversation in English 2011 and 2016, calculated using number and percent units of measure (appearing as column headers).
2011 2016
number percent number percent
Canada
Knowledge of English 28,360,245 85.6 29,973,595 86.2
English only 22,564,670 68.1 23,757,525 68.3
English and French 5,795,575 17.5 6,216,070 17.9
Total 33,121,175 100.0 34,767,250 100.0
Quebec
Knowledge of English 3,692,585 47.2 3,958,855 49.1
English only 363,860 4.7 372,450 4.6
English and French 3,328,725 42.6 3,586,405 44.5
Total 7,815,955 100.0 8,066,555 100.0
Canada outside Quebec
Knowledge of English 24,667,660 97.5 26,014,740 97.4
English only 22,200,810 87.7 23,385,075 87.6
English and French 2,466,850 9.7 2,629,665 9.8
Total 25,305,220 100.0 26,700,695 100.0

English increasingly spoken with other languages at home

The proportion of Canadians who reported speaking English at home increased from 74.0% in 2011 to 74.5% in 2016, up 0.5 percentage points. In numbers, this means that close to 26 million Canadians spoke English at home in 2016.

However, the proportion of Canadians who reported speaking only English at home fell from 58.0% in 2011 to 56.8% in 2016. English is spoken more and more with other languages.

Table 6
English spoken at home, Canada, Quebec, and Canada outside Quebec, 2011 and 2016
Table summary
This table displays the results of English spoken at home 2011 and 2016, calculated using number and percent units of measure (appearing as column headers).
2011 2016
number percent number percent
Canada
Only 19,224,940 58.0 19,756,510 56.8
Mostly 2,232,140 6.7 2,406,355 6.9
Equally 1,052,665 3.2 1,514,470 4.4
Regularly 2,002,135 6.0 2,220,465 6.4
Total (English) 24,511,880 74.0 25,897,805 74.5
Total population 33,121,175 100.0 34,767,250 100.0
Quebec
Only 481,675 6.2 483,295 6.0
Mostly 285,745 3.7 298,890 3.7
Equally 144,945 1.9 183,430 2.3
Regularly 515,495 6.6 579,690 7.2
Total (English) 1,427,860 18.3 1,545,310 19.2
Total population 7,815,950 100.0 8,066,560 100.0
Canada outside Quebec
Only 18,743,265 74.1 19,273,215 72.2
Mostly 1,946,395 7.7 2,107,465 7.9
Equally 907,720 3.6 1,331,040 5.0
Regularly 1,486,640 5.9 1,640,775 6.1
Total (English) 23,084,020 91.2 24,352,495 91.2
Total population 25,305,225 100.0 26,700,690 100.0

In Canada outside Quebec, the proportion of the population who reported speaking English at home remained stable at 91.2%. However, the proportion who spoke only English at home fell almost two percentage points. This decrease was offset by a similar increase in the use of English along with another language.

In Quebec, two in three people who spoke English at home also spoke another language. In 2016, 19.2% of the population reported speaking English at home, up from 2011 (18.3%). An increase was observed among people who spoke English and another language.

The demographic weight of the English‑mother‑tongue population is down

Large‑scale immigration has also led to a decrease in the demographic weight of the English‑mother‑tongue population across Canada. A decline was also recorded in all provinces.

In Canada outside Quebec, the English‑mother‑tongue population represented 72.9% of the entire population in 2016, down 1.1 percentage points in spite of an increase of over 750,000 people.

In Quebec, the population with English as their mother tongue grew in number. There were 718,990 people with English as their mother tongue in Quebec in 2016, compared with 700,405 in 2011. The percentage of the population with English as a mother tongue was 8.9% in 2016, compared with 9.0% in 2011.

Table 7
English‑mother‑tongue population, Canada, Quebec, and Canada outside Quebec, 2011 and 2016
Table summary
This table displays the results of English‑mother‑tongue population 2011, 2016 and Variation from 2011 to 2016, calculated using number and percent units of measure (appearing as column headers).
2011 2016 Variation from 2011 to 2016
number percent number percent percent
Canada
English (total) 19,424,090 58.6 20,193,335 58.1 4.0
English only 18,858,980 56.9 19,460,850 56.0 3.2
English and another language 565,110 1.7 732,485 2.1 29.6
Total population 33,121,175 100.0 34,767,250 100.0 5.0
Quebec
English (total) 700,405 9.0 718,990 8.9 2.7
English only 599,225 7.7 601,155 7.5 0.3
English and another language 101,180 1.3 117,835 1.5 16.5
Total population 7,815,955 100.0 8,066,555 100.0 3.2
Canada outside Quebec
English (total) 18,723,685 74.0 19,474,345 72.9 4.0
English only 18,259,755 72.2 18,859,695 70.6 3.3
English and another language 463,930 1.8 614,650 2.3 32.5
Total population 25,305,220 100.0 26,700,695 100.0 5.5

The population with English as its first official language spoken is rising in Quebec

In Quebec, the number and proportion of individuals whose first official language spoken is English increased. The official language minority grew from 1,058,250 people in 2011 to 1,103,480 people in 2016, an increase of 45,230. Moreover, the relative weight of the minority was 13.7% in 2016, compared with 13.5% in 2011.

Data sources, methods and definitions

Data sources

The data in this analysis are from the 2016 Census of Population. Further information on the census can be found in the Guide to the Census of Population, 2016, Catalogue no. 98‑304‑X.

Specific information on the quality and comparability of census data on language can be found in the Language Reference Guide, Census of Population, 2016, Catalogue no. 98‑500‑X2016003.

Methods

Random rounding and percentage distributions: To ensure the confidentiality of responses collected for the 2016 Census, a random rounding process is used to alter the values reported in individual cells. As a result, when these data are summed or grouped, the total value may not match the sum of the individual values, since the total and subtotals are independently rounded. Similarly, percentage distributions, which are calculated on rounded data, may not necessarily add up to 100%.

Because of random rounding, counts and percentages may vary slightly between different census products, such as the analytical documents, highlight tables and data tables.

Definitions

Please refer to the Dictionary, Census of Population, 2016, Catalogue no. 98‑301‑X, for additional information on the census variables.

Additional information

Additional analyses on language can be found in The Daily of August 17, 2017, and in the Census in Brief articles entitled English–French bilingualism reaches new heights, Catalogue no. 98‑200‑X2016009, and Linguistic diversity and multilingualism in Canadian homes, Catalogue no. 98‑200‑X2016010.

Additional information on language can be found in the Highlight tables, Catalogue no. 98‑402‑X2016005; the Data tables, Catalogue nos. 98‑400‑X2016045 to 98‑400‑X2016079 and 98‑400‑X2016343 to 98‑400‑X2016345; the Census Profile, Catalogue no. 98‑316‑X2016001; and the Focus on Geography Series, Catalogue no. 98‑404‑X2016001.

An infographic entitled Immigrant languages in Canada, 2016 Census of Population also illustrates some key findings on immigrant languages in Canada.

For details on the concepts, definitions and variables used in the 2016 Census of Population, please consult the Dictionary, Census of Population, 2016, Catalogue no. 98‑301‑X.

In addition to response rates and other data quality information, the Guide to the Census of Population, 2016, Catalogue no. 98‑304‑X, provides an overview of the various phases of the census, including content determination, sampling design, collection, data processing, data quality assessment, confidentiality guidelines and dissemination.

Acknowledgments

This report was prepared by Jean‑François Lepage of Statistics Canada’s Social and Aboriginal Statistics Division, with the assistance of other staff members of that division and the collaboration of staff members of the Census Subject Matter Secretariat, Census Operations Division, and Communications and Dissemination Branch.

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