Posted yesterday at 4:10pm.
The Effect of Temporary Immigration
In his first annual report, presented in the Blue Room on Wednesday, Mr Dubreuil expresses “particular concerns” about the fact that temporary immigration (foreign students and foreign temporary workers) has exploded in Quebec in recent years. Ten years ago, Quebec had 100,000 non-permanent residents. There are now 346,000 of them in the area, which is almost 4% of the population.
PHOTO EDOUARD PLANTE-FRÉCHETTE, ARCHIVE LA PRESSE
French language commissioner Benoît Dubreuil
“Census data show that in 2021, French will be less prevalent and English more prevalent among non-permanent residents […]. We can expect that this strong presence of English as the language most commonly used in the workplace among non-residents (34.6%) is already having a significant impact on the situation of French in Quebec,” says Mr. Dubreuil.
In Quebec, the Legault government is the target of the opposition on this issue, although it has ruled out setting a threshold for this category of immigrants.
“The Quebec Experience”, a plus?
Benoît Dubreuil also claims that for immigrants who are admitted to Quebec because of a “Quebec experience”, for example because they have studied or worked in the province, this is no guarantee that the French will be used more than others at work categories of immigrants.
According to the Commissioner, foreigners who have applied for asylum (65.6%) or those admitted to Quebec with no prior experience (63.7%) are more likely to use French in the workplace [les personnes] Admission after receiving a work permit (55.7%) [ou] a study permit (51.4%)”.
“These discrepancies deserve to be highlighted, as it is widely believed that staying in Quebec before admission promotes integration into Quebec society,” he says.
Should Law 101 be imposed on CEGEPs?
French language commissioner Benoît Dubreuil does not answer this question, which has resurfaced in debates since the government set itself the goal of reversing the decline of French. On the other hand, he notes that a survey by the Office québécois de la langue française shows that the preference for services in French in companies increases from 81.9% to 46.5% among francophones “depending on whether the studies are post-secondary studies hat.” either in French or in English”.
“For allophones, the preference for French increases from 68.6% among those who studied in French to 19.5% among those who studied in English,” adds Mr. Dubreuil.
The Commissioner also notes that 23% of Francophones who have studied English use English most often in the workplace, while among allophones “the predominant use is English”. [au travail] increases from 7% to 46% depending on whether the post-secondary studies were conducted in French or in English.”
The battle of the indicators
Once the question of the decline of French in Quebec is raised, the analyzes diverge depending on the indicators analyzed (mother tongue, language spoken at home, language spoken at work, first official language spoken, etc.). In his first report, Benoît Dubreuil makes some observations:
- The number of Quebecers whose first language is French and who use it at home is declining;
- The use of English as a first and home language is increasing;
- First official language data shows that “English [jouit] a strong attraction for a significant minority of immigrants, regardless of their origin;
- About 60% of immigrants use French mainly in the workplace and in society;
- On the other hand, around 25% of immigrants use English predominantly in the workplace or in public places, while 10-15% use it to the same extent as French;
- Immigrants coming from countries where French is traditionally established (such as France, Algeria, Morocco or Haiti) “are the only ones who use French in the labor market in a similar proportion to the host population”;
- A “substantial minority” of young Quebecers show no preference for being served in French in shops.
context
Benoît Dubreuil is the first French language commissioner. His position, which reports to the National Assembly in the same way as the position of Auditor General or Public Protector, was created with the passage of Bill 96 protecting the French in spring 2022. Last February, the National Assembly approved his appointment, despite opposition from Liberals. Its mission is to monitor the linguistic situation in Quebec and make recommendations to ensure the future of French.