French declines in the workplace and in culture: Quebec language commissioner

French has been declining “in most areas of social life” in Quebec since the early 2000s, that’s according to a series of studies by French language commissioner Benoît Dubreuil. He adds that this situation is “particularly worrying” in the workplace and in culture, and will persist “unless structural changes are made.”

Since 1997, there has been an 11 per cent decline in “the population speaking French exclusively or in general at work.”

Commissioner Dubreuil points out that, while not the only factor, immigration is an “important point” in the decline of French.

“The probability of speaking mainly French at work is lower among people with an immigrant background, and is even lower among anglophones,” reads his report.

“On the job market, it’s very uneven. We see several sectors where French has lost sometimes 10 points, sometimes 15 points in recent years. We’re seeing a lot in finance, multimedia and professional services,” said Dubreuil at a press briefing on Thursday.

The language in which young people study will have an impact on the language spoken at work. The probability of using French at work is 88 per cent for a graduate who studied in French at high school, college or university.

“This probability decreases to 59.3 per cent for those who did their university studies in English, and to 32.4 per cent for those who did all their post-secondary studies in that language.”

It adds that, “in general, people from immigrant backgrounds are less likely to study in French and work in French afterwards.”

While it is stated that “most” 18 to 34 year olds “prefer to work in French and have rather favorable attitudes to French,” it is asserted that “most young Anglophones prefer to work in English, and many would hesitate to apply for a job requiring advanced French skills.”

Quebec culture

Consumption of Quebec culture is also affected, according to studies presented by the commissioner. There has been an eight per cent drop in the “share of the population consuming culture mainly in French”.

“We’re seeing extremely significant declines in music, audiovisuals and video games. We really need to find solutions”, said the commissioner.

According to Benoît Dubreuil, it’s possible to “grow up in several places in Quebec”, without ever being “in contact with Quebec cultural content”.

“I’m very concerned about the absence of a common referent,” he added.

The report states that there is an “asymmetry between Francophones, who are relatively numerous in using English predominantly in their cultural life, and Anglophones, only a small percentage of whom use French predominantly.”

Decline of French in Montreal

Unsurprisingly, the decline of French is particularly marked in Montreal. “In the Montreal region, the decline in the predominant use of French at work follows the decline in the proportion of Francophones,” writes Dubreuil.

“There is a process of suburbanization of the West Island that is spreading towards Vaudreuil.”

The situation in Gatineau is also worrying, as “Francophones are using French less than before.”

–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews