Francophones Outside Quebec: Ageing and in Relative Decline

Michael O'Keefe

Assimilation and Community Vitality:

The number of Francophones outside Quebec increased by 44,000 or 4.7% in the period from 1971 to 1996. There are just under one million Francophones outside Quebec. The use of French as the language used most often within the home has, however, declined by 57,000 in the same twenty-five year period.

While the number of mother tongue Francophones has increased, this increase has not kept pace with the increase in the non-Francophone population. As a result, the percentage of mother tongue Francophones has declined consistently over the past forty-five years.

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The level of (English/French) bilingualism of Anglophones outside Quebec is 6.9%, while the level of bilingualism among Francophones outside Quebec is 83.8%.

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In 1971, 45.9% of Francophones outside Quebec were under 25 years of age. In 1996, the proportion under the age of 25 had declined to just 25.7%.