CHAPTER Languages 22 In 2006, Canada had 18.1 million people allophones are projected to be living in a whose mother tongue was English, CMA by 2031. 6.9 million whose mother tongue was People whose mother tongue is a French, and 6.3 million whose mother Chinese language is the largest group of tongue was neither English nor French. allophones in Canada. In 2006, this group The proportion of anglophones, accounted for 3% of the total population Canada’s predominant language group, and 16% of the allophone population. is shrinking steadily as the proportion of allophones—people whose mother tongue Official-language minorities is neither English nor French (Canada’s Francophones outside Quebec are two official languages)—is increasing. scattered across Canada with large From 1981 to 2006, the anglophone share numbers residing in Ontario and New of the total population declined from Brunswick. 61% to 58%. People with French as their mother Francophones are the largest language tongue made up 4.2% of Ontario’s total minority in the provinces, except for population in 2006. One out of four of Quebec, where they are the majority these francophones were living in Ottawa, language group. In 2006, French was the and about the same proportion were mother tongue of 22% of Canadians, and located in northeastern Ontario. close to 80% of Quebecers. From 2001 to Ontario’s francophones speak French 2006, francophones had the lowest rate mostly at home and with friends. They use it of population growth, at 1.6%, compared less often in interactions with insti­­tutions and with 3.0% for anglophones and 18.0% for stores and for media consumption. Use of allophones. French in the various domains of the Cree, Inuktitut and Ojibway were the public sphere varies by region; French is three most commonly spoken Aboriginal more common in eastern Ontario. languages in 2006, with 69% of Inuit, 29% In 2006, English was the first official of First Nations people and 4% of Métis language spoken by 995,000 people able to converse in an Aboriginal language. in Quebec, or 13.4% of the province’s population. In other provinces, language A growing allophone population transfers—when the language a person Because of the substantial increase in uses most often at home is not their immigration since the mid-1980s, the mother tongue—are made primarily proportion of allophones in the population has more than doubled since 1981, growing To learn more about from less than 10% to 20% in 2006. According to projections of the diversity Aboriginal language groups, allophones, of the Canadian population, the allophone bilingualism, English language groups, French population could continue to increase from language groups, immersion programs, 7 to 11 times faster than the rest of the language at work, language instruction, population. In fact, it could nearly double language spoken at home, languages, again to comprise around 29% to 32% of languages of immigrants, mother tongue, non- the total population by 2031. official languages, official languages, official- In 2006, 87% of Canada’s allophones were living in census metropolitan areas language minorities, second languages (CMAs). This percentage of allophones is visit www.statcan.gc.ca expected to increase: 91% of the country’s 326 Canada Year Book 2011 • Catalogue no. 11-402-X Languages toward English by allophones. In Quebec, Table 22.a such transfers are equally divided between Workers who use an official language most often French and English. In 2006, 50% of or regularly at work allophones who had made a language 2001 2006 transfer were mainly using French at home % English while 48% were mainly using English. Total 84.4 85.0 Nearly 92% of Quebec’s anglophone Most often 78.4 78.3 population is clustered in three regions: Regularly 6.4 6.7 French Montréal, the Outaouais, and in the Total 25.6 25.7 Eastern Townships and southern Quebec. Most often 21.8 21.7 Regularly 3.8 4.0 Anglophones in the Montréal CMA make Source: Statistics Canada, censuses of population, up 80.5% of Quebec’s total English- 2001 and 2006. speaking population. Quebecers whose first official language represented. In addition, anglophone is English tend to use their language men in Quebec have a lower median in both the public and private spheres. annual income than their francophone Among Quebecers who speak English, counterparts ($4,000 less). French and a third language, English is Income disparities are greater among usually used for media consumption, while anglophone Quebecers than among French is used in the public sphere and a francophone Quebecers. For example, third language is used at home. a higher proportion of anglophones than francophones had an income above Language and income $100,000 in 2006, and at the same time Anglophones are under-represented a higher proportion of anglophones than in Quebec’s public service workforce, francophones were living in low-income whereas francophones are over- circumstances. Chart 22.1 Allophone population, selected census metropolitan areas Toronto Vancouver Abbotsford–Mission Windsor Calgary Kitchener–Cambridge–Waterloo Hamilton Montréal Winnipeg Edmonton Guelph 2001 London 2006 Ottawa–Gatineau 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 % of population Source: Statistics Canada, 2006 Census of Population. Statistics Canada • www.statcan.gc.ca 327 Chapter 22 Shopping in French Chart 22.2 Knowledge of French among sales and service Most francophones who live in a region workers, 2006 where they are in the majority can be greeted and served in their own language Canada N.L. when they shop. P.E.I. In 2006, nearly all sales and service N.S. workers in the urban areas of Quebec N.B. Que. knew French and used it at work. The Ont. proportion of sales and service workers Man. who were able to converse in French was Sask. Alta. Workers in retail and over 90% in the Montréal region and on B.C. client services the Quebec side of the Ottawa–Gatineau Y.T. N.W.T. Total population CMA, two areas where the anglophone Nvt. and allophone populations are both 0 20 40 60 80 100 relatively large. % Outside Quebec, knowledge of French Source: Statistics Canada, Catalogue no. 11-008-X. among sales and service workers varies regions with the largest concentrations by region. For example, on the Ontario of francophones outside Quebec—the side of the Ottawa–Gatineau CMA, the corresponding proportions who knew proportion of sales and service workers French were 59% and 41%. However, fewer who knew French in 2006 was 41%. In of those workers actually used French than Moncton and Greater Sudbury—the two knew the language. Language learning among Chart 22.3 Aboriginal children Children’s exposure to Aboriginal languages, 2006 Of the 57,110 First Nations children aged At home 2 to 5 who were living off reserve in 2006, 1 out of 5 were able to understand an At the home Aboriginal language, while the majority of others spoke mostly English or French at home. In the About 10% of children were spoken to community primarily in an Aboriginal language at home: for 8% of them, English or French was Through also spoken; for 1% of them, an Aboriginal media language was spoken exclusively. 0 20 40 60 80 100 Exposing young children to an % Aboriginal language at home plays a key Daily Less than daily role in their acquisition of the language. Note: First Nations children aged 2 to 5 living off reserve. Understanding an Aboriginal language Source: Statistics Canada, Catalogue no. 11-008-X. is linked with other factors: being in a child involve ment of an extended family; living in ­­care arrangement where Aboriginal a community perceived by parents as a languages are used; having parents who good place to practise First Nations believe in the importance of Aboriginal cultural activities; and participating often in languages; having at least one parent traditional hunt ing, fishing, trapping or with an Aboriginal mother tongue; the camping activities. 328 Canada Year Book 2011 • Catalogue no. 11-402-X Languages INTERNATIONAL perspective Chart 22.4 Population of Canada, by mother tongue, 2006 English French Chinese Chinese (not specified) English (17.9 million) Italian German French (6.9 million) Punjabi Cantonese Spanish Arabic Tagalog (Pilipino) Portuguese • In 1971, the most common non-official mother tongues were German (19.9%), Polish Italian (19.2%) and Ukrainian (11.0%). In 2006, they were Chinese languages Mandarin (16.4%), Italian (7.6%), German (7.4%), Vietnamese Punjabi (6.1%), Spanish (5.8%) and Arabic (4.6). Ukrainian • In 2006, 2 out of 5 allophones spoke English or French exclusively at home. Dutch • Toronto has the largest proportion Greek of allophones among CMAs. In 2006, 44% had a mother tongue other Cree than English or French. In Vancouver, Inuktitut (Inuit) 41% were allophones. Montréal had proportionally fewer allophones (22%). Hakka Other 0 200 400 600 800 1,000 1,200 1,400 1,600 1,800 2,000 thousands Note: The respondent reported only one language as a mother tongue. Source: Statistics Canada, 2006 Census of Population. Statistics Canada • www.statcan.gc.ca 329 Chapter 22 Table 22.1 Mother tongue, by province and territory, 2006 Canada Newfoundland Prince Edward Nova New Quebec Ontario Manitoba Saskatchewan Alberta British Yukon Northwest Nunavut and Labrador Island Scotia Brunswick Columbia Territories number number Population 31,241,030 500,610 134,205 903,090 719,650 7,435,905 12,028,895 1,133,510 953,850 3,256,355 4,074,385 30,195 41,055 29,325 Mother tongue, single response1 30,848,270 499,830 133,570 899,270 714,490 7,339,495