Commissioner warns of decline in Quebec French

Tashi Farmilo

As Quebec grapples with its evolving linguistic landscape, French Language Commissioner Benoît Dubreuil has issued a sobering analysis revealing significant declines in the use of French across the province. In his new publication, Analyse de la situation du français au Québec - Études complémentaires, Dubreuil underscores an urgent need for policy intervention to preserve Quebec’s linguistic identity amid concerning shifts, particularly among younger professionals and in cultural spaces.

The report, which builds upon findings from the Office québécois de la langue française (OQLF)’s 2024 Rapport sur l'évolution de la situation linguistique au Québec, examines how recent years have seen a reversal in French-language gains achieved since the 1970s. While earlier decades saw French rise as Quebec’s common language, Dubreuil points to a troubling decline in French use, especially in workplaces and metropolitan areas with high levels of federal interaction.

“Many young Quebecers are gravitating toward English as the preferred language in both work and cultural settings,” Dubreuil said in a statement accompanying the report. “In certain professions and urban centres, the ability to work in French is being eroded by the requirements of international business and the influence of federal institutions.”

The studies underscore sharp declines in French usage among workers in Quebec’s largest cities, where English proficiency is often viewed as a career advantage. Nowhere is this more evident than in Gatineau, adjacent to the nation’s capital, where the proportion of workers primarily using French fell from 77% to 62% between 2016 and 2021. Meanwhile, those primarily using English in the workplace rose sharply from 14.3% to 29.4%, reflecting an influx of workers from Ontario and the increased demand for English in sectors with federal connections. Additionally, public language use data reveals that only 63% of Gatineau residents primarily used French in 2022, pointing to unique linguistic pressures in the region and underscoring broader challenges to preserving French within Quebec’s linguistic framework.

The Commissioner’s analysis offers further insight into the linguistic choices of young Quebecers, revealing that the rising generation is increasingly bilingual but more inclined to use English in various professional and social contexts. Dubreuil describes how many young professionals now view English proficiency as essential for career mobility and cultural engagement. “The benefits of English in advancing careers and expanding social circles cannot be understated for today’s youth,” he observed, noting that this shift could signal long-term impacts on Quebec’s linguistic identity.

This supplementary report is intended to support Dubreuil’s forthcoming recommendations, which he will present to the National Assembly by November 22, in alignment with Quebec’s French Language Charter mandate. These recommendations, informed by extensive data, are expected to focus on strategic policies aimed at reinforcing French as Quebec’s primary language across public sectors and institutions.

Both Analyse de la situation du français au Québec - Études complémentaires and additional supporting analyses are now available on the French Language Commissioner’s website: www.commissairelanguefrancaise.quebec. The public release, as Dubreuil noted, serves to “inform and prepare Quebecers for the measures necessary to secure French as the enduring language of Quebec.”