Tashi Farmilo
LJI Reporter

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.”

Photo: French Language Commissioner Benoît Dubreuil has issued a critical report warning of a
decline in French usage in Quebec, particularly among young professionals, and calling for
urgent policy measures to reinforce French as the province’s common language. (TF) Photo
courtesy of Commissioner of the French Language Facebook page