The status of French French, like English, is one of Canada’s 2 official languages. Federal institutions are bilingual. They operate and provide services in both official languages. The Government of Canada also actively promotes both official languages in Canadian society ( Official Languages Act ).
What is the official language in Ontario?
English
Figure 4.1 Population by knowledge of official languages, Ontario, 2011
| Official language | Population (percentage) |
|---|---|
| English only | 86.3 |
| French only | 0.3 |
| English and French | 11.0 |
| Neither English nor French | 2.3 |
Is French an official language in Canada?
English is the first official language spoken by just over three in four Canadians. This proportion increased from 74.8% in 2016 to 75.5% in 2021. French is the first official language spoken by an increasing number of Canadians, but the proportion fell from 22.2% in 2016 to 21.4% in 2021.
Which Canadian province has French as its official language?
Most Canadian native speakers of French live in Quebec, the only province where French is the majority language and the only province in which it is the sole official language.
Is Ontario French or English speaking?
The demographic picture varies by province or territory
| Province or territory | French-speaking population | English-speaking population |
|---|---|---|
| Ontario | 550,595 (4.1%) | 12,440,795 (93.4%) |
| Manitoba | 40,978 (3.2%) | 1,204,798 (95.5%) |
| Saskatchewan | 14,440 (1.3%) | 1,061,110 (98%) |
| Alberta | 79,838 (2%) | 3,888,983 (96.6%) |
Is French mandatory in Ontario?
Since French is one of Canada’s two official languages, French is taught in Ontario’s English-language school boards. Students in Ontario’s publicly funded English-language schools are required to: study French as a second language ( FSL ) from Grades 4 to 8.
Does Ontario have two official languages?
Ontario has a regionalized language policy, where part of the province is English-only and other areas are bilingual. Province-wide services (such as websites and toll-free telephone numbers) are provided in both English and French.
Is French Disappearing in Canada?
The proportion of Canadians who mainly speak French at home continues to decline in nearly all provinces and territories, including Quebec, the latest census release shows.
Can all Canadian speak French?
If we are talking Canada as a whole, yes. Most of Canada’s province are English-speaking. French is largely confined to Quebec, with small communities in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Ontario- and Ottawa is bilingual.
Why is French the second official language in Canada?
Canada’s two colonizing peoples are the French and the British. They controlled land and built colonies alongside Indigenous peoples, who had been living there for millennia. They had two different languages and cultures. The French spoke French, practiced Catholicism, and had their own legal system (civil law).
What city in Canada only speaks French?
Quebec, the only province that is primarily Francophone, adopted the Charter of the French Language , which provides for the predominant use of French within provincial government institutions and in Quebec society.
Is Canadian French different from actual French?
Canadian French has different vocabulary, idioms, slang, cultural references, and expressions that may be unfamiliar to those who speak European French. However, the largest difference is pronunciation, so much so that Canadian and European French are not always mutually intelligible.
How many people speak French in Ontario?
622,415
In 2011, this number stood at 611,500. The Francophone population has increased by 10,915 since 2011, up by about 2%. Francophones make up 4.7% of the Ontario population, down slightly (-0.1%) since 2011.
Chart 1 – Ontario’s Francophone population.
| Year | Francophone Population | Proportion |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 622,415 | 4.7% |
What cities in Ontario speak French?
Franco-Ontarians are mainly concentrated in eastern and northeastern Ontario in key Francophone cities like Ottawa, Sudbury, North Bay and Timmins. East of Ottawa, the counties of Prescott-Russell and Stormont Dundas Glengarry are rich in Francophone culture.
When did Ontario become bilingual?
Official bilingualism in 1969 helped ensure the provision of federal government services in both official languages throughout the country. In 1982, the new Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms enshrined the right of official-language minorities to instruction in their language, long a controversial matter.
Is Toronto more French or English?
While the majority of Torontonians speak English as their primary language, over 160 languages are spoken in the city.
When did French become mandatory in Ontario?
1984
In 1984, Ontario officially recognized the right of all Francophones to receive French-language education in elementary and secondary schools. Francophones gained full and exclusive governance of nearly all French-language schools in Ontario in 1998.
What is the only bilingual province in Canada?
New Brunswick
Why? Yes, New Brunswick is Canada’s only officially bilingual province. This is because the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms specifically recognizes that English and French are the official languages of New Brunswick.
Which province has the most bilingual in Canada?
The growth of English–French bilingualism comes mostly from Quebec
| number | ||
|---|---|---|
| Saskatchewan | 46,570 | 51,360 |
| Alberta | 235,565 | 264,715 |
| British Columbia | 296,645 | 314,925 |
| Yukon | 4,415 | 4,900 |
Do you need to know French to live in Canada?
You do not need to speak French to live in Canada, because most provinces have an English-speaking majority.
Do most Canadians speak French?
French. Our other official language, French, is the second-most commonly spoken language in Canada. But it’s not just those in Quebec — there are many communities outside la belle province with large French-speaking populations.